Why, Why Love
by amantebandido
Summary: In order to fulfill her grandma's wish of seeing a real faerie, Sam Doroster decided get close to Artemis Fowl by transferring to his school, halfway across the globe. Unfortunately for her, it is an all boys school. Can she hide the fact she is a girl?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Okay, please read this before starting on the story!! This story takes place about three years after "The Arctic Incident"-- putting Artemis and many other of the characters in the story at around the age of 16 or 17. All the events of "The Eternity Code" and later books have not happened nor will ever happen in this story-- mainly because I like the way that Colfer left the character after the second book. Okay, so with that background info-- I hope you enjoy the first chapter!!**

**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter One**

"Sam…you know this will never work, don't you?" Kerry asked, sitting in her formal room, watching her best friend pick up a pair of scissors with absolute determination.

"And why won't it?" Sam asked, carefully positioning a mirror close to her.

"Because from what you've described, this boy is supposed to be a genius. He'll see through you right away" Kat answered.

"How could he? I'm not stupid enough to give myself away" Sam answered, fingering the long dirty blonde hair that she had painstakingly grown out for three years..

"Sam, listen to me, is he even worth it?" Kerry asked. Sam turned around and faced her best friend of eight years.

"Of course it is. Artemis Fowl is the name I seem to come across over and over again whenever I try to look into fairies. If there is anybody who will help me fulfill grandma's wish, it is him" Sam answered, resolutely. She picked up the scissors and inhaled deeply.

"Samantha Allen Doroster, don't you dare bring those scissors anywhere near your hair!! We will find another way to talk to this boy!" Kerry cried. Samantha just looked at her friend.

"Kerry, I have told you before—Artemis Fowl is a recluse. He doesn't talk to anyone. The only way I have a chance of getting to speak to him is to enroll in his school. I mean, after all, we are in the same grade."

"Yes, I get the fact that you are going halfway across the world to be in the same school as this guy, but I don't get why you have to disguise yourself as a boy to do that" Kerry said.

"Well, the school he goes to is rather conservative" Sam said hurriedly "girls and boys have separate classes. The only time they see each other is at meals and club activities. That wouldn't give me nearly as much time to get to talk to him"

In truth, however, Sam was lying—one of many lies she knew she had to tell. The school that Artemis Fowl went to wasn't conservative. It was an all boys' school. Sam knew that Kerry would go insane if she knew that she was going to enroll in al all boys' school, so she decided to hide that fact.

"Do your parents know that you are going to be masquerading as a boy in your new school?" Kerry asked.

"Please, how would they let me go if I told them?" Sam answered "I just said that I wanted to study abroad in Ireland, I never told them about me pretending to be a guy"

"Then you admit what you are doing is wrong! Come on Sam, we can think of another way to talk to him. Don't do this!" Kerry cried. Sam turned back to the mirror resolutely.

"Too late" she said, taking the scissors and cutting on a length of her hair as Kerry started on in horrified awe.

* * *

Saint Bartlby's School for Young Gentlemen was not at all like Sam had pictured it to be. All of the research that she had done had said that Irish boarding schools were very strict institutions with austere, plain buildings. Saint Bartlby's however, looked more like a series of old castles than a school. The buildings were all made out of stone and grandly impressive, with spiraling turrets and ivy growing everywhere. They majesty of the place took Sam back a bit. They definitely didn't have any schools like this back in Boston.

Slowly, Sam made her way through the large, impressive gates that marked the front of the school. There was a long, neatly kept pathway leading up to the main building, which Sam guessed held the main office. She hurried down the path, pulling her large suitcase and checking her watch in the process. Her plane had only landed two hours ago, and since then she had hurriedly changed into the uniform that the school had provided for her and had rushed to catch a cab to take her to her new school, but even so, she was already going to be late, and on her first day of school at that.

Sam opened the door to the main building quickly and was immediately met by a sharp dressed man with a shag of the brightest red hair she had ever seen.

"Hello master Doroster" the man said "we were wondering when you were going to arrive. My name is Professor Dane. I am the vice president of the school and am in charge of aiding every student here"

"Nice to meet you, Professor Dane. Sorry, my plane landed late" Sam mumbled, immediately letting go of her suitcase to shake the man's hand.

"You may leave your luggage here—we will store it for you in the offices and you may retrieve it after your classes" he said. Sam thankfully smiled and gave the man her suitcase, taking her schoolbag out of it first.

"If you would follow me, I will show you to your classroom" the man said, leading Sam out the back of the building. Sam noted in amazement that the school became progressively more beautiful as she was exposed to more of it. The campus was set in a rolling, emerald field—even more beautiful than what was described in the typical Irish stereotype.

"Wow…it's so pretty here" Sam said in awe, looking around here.

"Really?" Professor Dane asked excitedly "The president of the school tries very hard to keep the school beautiful. I am very glad you think it looks nice"

"The president has a good eye then, every detail of this place is perfect" Sam said, noting with wonder how neatly trimmed even the ivy growing on the side of the buildings was.

"Well this school does have a reputation to keep. It is supposed to be a school of beauty" Professor Dame said.

"A school of beauty?" Sam asked, confused "what does that mean?"

"This school" Professor Dane continued "is the best school in Ireland in terms of education. We have the best staff and the best facilities. But that is not what makes the school so popular"

"What does?" Sam asked.

"This school accepts its students not based on grades…but on looks" Professor Dame answered, smiling brightly. Sam stopped in her tracks.

"On…on their looks?" she sputtered.

"Yes, like I said, the president of the school is obsessed with beauty. Therefore we accept our students based on their looks."

Sam looked down at herself. It was an exciting prospect to be attending a school full of good-looking boys; but on the other hand, that would mean that he herself could pass off as a good looking boy, and Sam didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

"Well that can't be true" Sam said, catching up with the professor "after all, I was accepted in here, and I wouldn't say that I am a very handsome boy"

"You are not handsome, true" Professor Dane said "but you are a very pretty boy, almost feminine, actually"

Sam blanched for a moment, but then put on her tough façade again.

"Who are you calling feminine?" she asked "I am a very tough man"

"Oh, I didn't mean to offend you, master Doroster" Professor Dane said quickly "I was only trying to say that you do fit in nicely with our student body. Oh, here we are. This is where all of the members of Form 11 have their classes"

Sam looked up and saw what looked like an large English cottage in front of her.

"There are three classrooms inside of there and the teachers rotate between them. You are assigned to a classroom based on the dormitory that you belong to," Professor Dane said.

"I do not know what Dormitory that I am a part of, though" Sam said.

"Well, each of the three dormitories have different traits and you will get to pick your own. For right now, you can go into classroom with the members of Dorm Two, seeing as how that is the smallest class. Later on today, when you decide which dorm you would like to join you may switch into the appropriate classroom" Professor Dane said, opening the door to the Form 11 building.

Sam stepped into the building and found herself in a grand room. There were three large doors at the furthest end of the room and another large door right next to them.

"This is the locker room," Professor Dane said, opening the door closet to them. "You may keep your bags and other belongings here"

"Does it matter which locker I use?" Sam asked.

"Not really. Just pick an empty locker and place your items there" Professor Dane said. "And please hurry, classes already started ten minutes ago and I am sure that you would not want to be too late"

"Oh yes" Sam said, hurriedly throwing her jacket into the first free locker space that she saw.

She followed Professor Dane to the end of the grand room. He opened the door in the middle and gently pushed her into the classroom. It was a small room, with about ten kids in it. The teacher was in the front of the room, writing something on the board. The students, however, seemed to be doing everything but paying attention to whatever the teacher was saying. There were two boys playing some kind of slapping game, a few boys doodling in their notebooks, even a boy dribbling a soccer ball in the back of the room.

Professor Dane cleared his throat and every member of the room turned lazily to him. Upon seeing Sam standing in the doorway, they immediately stopped whatever they were doing and cocked their heads in interest.

"Sorry to be bothering you" Professor Dane said hurriedly "but we have a new student with us. His name is Sam Doroster and he has just joined us from America"

The students looked over Sam and nodded slightly to themselves before resuming whatever they had been doing before.

"It is nice to have a new student here, I am Professor McGovern, the English master" the teacher in the front of the room said "please find an empty seat, anywhere will do"

Sam nodded, thanked Professor Dane, and went to a seat in the back of the class. She sat down and reached down to take out her notebook from her bag when she suddenly heard something fall on top of her desk. She immediately sat up and saw her jacket, which she had left in the locker room, laying on her desk.

Looking up, Sam saw the person who had threw the jacket on her desk. It was a boy her age, a good foot taller than her, with long, slightly messy black hair, pale skin, and the most piercing pair of blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Next time don't place your belongings in other people's lockers" he said, his cold voice accented with a crisp Irish lilt.

"Sorry, I didn't know that was your locker" Sam said quickly. The boy just looked down at her with a very odd mix of disgust and indifference. Sam felt her blood boil slightly. She was a new student—how was she supposed to know that was this boy's locker? He didn't have any right to get so upset over it.

"Master Fowl, I am glad that you decided to join us today!" Professor McGovern said today. Sam suddenly turned to the boy and gaped. This was him. This was Artemis Fowl.

Artemis didn't even acknowledge the teacher's words. He just sat down in the seat next to Sam and looked out the window, as though he was already bored. Sam just started at the boy, mouth open. This was the boy that she had traveled halfway across the world and dressed up like a guy to meet. This was the boy that she had obsessively researched for the past two years. This was Artemis Fowl, and he was sitting in the desk right next to her.

Sam turned back and looked at the front of the classroom, grinning widely. Finally, she was one step closer to fulfilling her goal. Two years ago, Sam's grandmother had passed away. Sam's parents had moved around quite a bit when she was younger, so her grandmother had brought her up and had been the most important figure in her life. For as long as she remembered, her grandmother had been obsessed with faeries. Not only did she like faeries, she actually believed them to be real. Sam remembered that her grandmother only had one wish in life, and that was to see a real faerie. Unfortunately, she died before she ever had the opportunity.

On her deathbed, Sam's grandmother had told her to fulfill her wish for her.

"Samantha" she had said "I never once got to see a faerie. Please, child, please help me live that goal. I need you to go and find a faerie. I know that they are real. Please, do it for me"

Sam, at that time, thought her grandmother to be mad. She had always thought that the faerie business was nonsense. But her grandmother had done so much for her, and she meant so much to her, she decided to look into faeries, and every turn and every lead that she received always led back to one person—Artemis Fowl. Now as cheesy as it sounded, Sam felt like she had an obligation to find Artemis Fowl and fulfill her grandmother's wish. But not only that, somewhere among the thousands of articles and pieces of information that she read about him and by him, Sam started feeling a little attached to the boy. He was as young as she was but so much more intelligent. His writings were beautiful, and as a person who always appreciated and loved great writing, Sam started to feel a little attracted to the image of Artemis Fowl that she had created in her mind.

Now that she was here, in the same classroom as him, she knew that she was one step closer to fulfilling her grandmother's wish, as well as her own wish to get to know the boy behind the writings better. If only she could get an opportunity to talk to him now…

**A/N: Okay, so I hoped you liked that chapter, because I had SO much fun writing it!! And please do review and tell me what you think, negative or positive. I am still trying to develop my own personal style of writing so feedback is always very appreciated. Plus, the more reviews I have the faster I will update the story. haha. Gracias y besos**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Okay, here is chapter 2. It might seem slightly long, but that is just because I had to explain how the dorm system/competition worked. Hopefully now that I have most of the technical information about the school put of the way, I can concentrate more on character development. So if some of my characters seem a bit shallow right now, bear with me, they will be fully developed in the coming chapters. Also, if any of you have the chance, please go out and see the drama Hana Kimi-- I drew a lot of inpiration for this story from that drama and it is pretty great. Anyways, here is the chapter. Hope you enjoy!!**

**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 2**

Classes seemed to last forever, or at least that is how it seemed to Sam. The day dragged on, one teacher came and another left. The curriculum here really was advanced, but it seemed as though the pupils weren't really concerned with learning anything. They never seemed to be paying attention to anything that the teachers were saying, most of the time either joking with one another, or lost in their own worlds.

Sam couldn't help but periodically glancing over at Artemis. He always looked so bored, either staring out the window or reading one of the seemingly endless supply of books that he brought with him, but never paying attention to the classes or any of his classmates.

"Okay students, that is the end of classes for today"

Sam snapped back to reality at the teachers words. _Over_, she thought to herself, checking her watch. 2:30. Classes really were over!

Sam looked over next to her and saw Artemis packing up the mountain of books that he had piled up on his desk throughout the day. _Okay, Sam, it is now or never_, she said to herself, _you traveled halfway across the globe to talk to this boy, you better not miss this opportunity_.

Slowly Sam got out of her seat and walked over to Artemis. This boy was a genius. What in the world could she say to him? She decided to just be direct and frank with him. At least then there wouldn't be anyway that he couldn't understand the point she wanted to get across. She stopped in front of his desk, inhaling deeply.

Artemis looked up from his books, raising a single eyebrow at her. Beside them, a group of boys had gathered, looking on the scene with a mix of awe and anticipation.

"Look, the new boy is actually going up to talk to Artemis"

"Poor boy, doesn't he know anything? Who would be stupid enough to try to talk to Artemis?"

Sam smiled brightly at Artemis, gathering up the courage to say something.

"Hi, my name is Sam. I am a transfer student. I don't really know anybody here but I would like to be your friend" she said, regretting every single word as soon as they left her mouth. _I would like to be your friend?_ What self-respecting guy would ever say that to one of his classmates?

Everybody in the room gasped as they waited for Artemis to say something.

Artemis just looked up at Sam, his face completely impassive. He stood up and swung his school bag over his shoulder. Sam had to crane her neck up to look at him.

"I knew Americans were tactless" Artemis said slowly "but I never knew that they were this bad. I don't know what you think of me, but I am not looking for that type of relationship". And with that, he turned and walked out of the classroom.

"That type of relationship?" Sam mumbled to herself. "What in the world did Artemis mean…unless…unless he thinks that I am a gay guy trying to hit on him!" She groaned loudly. It was only her first day here and she had probably already scared Artemis away. Why couldn't she act more manly?

"It's okay. He's like that to everyone"

Sam turned around and saw the boy who had been dribbling the soccer ball in the seat behind her all day. He was a good bit taller than her, maybe just a couple of inches shorter than Artemis, and had very expressive almond shaped eyes, and was very obviously of Asian decent. His hair was cut in a very messy fashion and dyed a shade of gold, making it look like some sort lion's mane. Usually such a thing would look absolutely ridiculous on a person, but it worked on this boy. All in all, he was a very attractive specimen of male—but then again, that was a requirement.

"Excuse me?" Sam said

"Artemis. He acts that way with everybody, very antisocial" the boy said. "By the way, I am Jin—Saint Bartlby's own Golden Right Foot!"

"Golden Right Foot?" Sam asked, confused.

"That's my nickname" Jin explained "because of my expertise at running and at football. My right foot can kick the ball with so much force that it will knock a person out. I'm captain of the team!"

"Oh, nice to meet you" Sam said, smiling at the boy "my name is Sam"

"Ah, Sam. Do you play any sports?" Jin asked. Sam shrugged

"No, no organized sports. I was on the track team when I was in America, though" she said. Jin's face broke out into a huge grin.

"Track team? Really? Me too. What did you run?"

"Um, the 100 meter" Sam said, looking around. Where had Artemis gone off to? Had he gone back to his room?

"What? What a coincidence. That is what I run. Here, come on, let's go race!" Jin said, eagerly leading Sam out of the room.

"What? Oh, okay" Sam said, following Jin out. She wanted to go find Artemis, but Jin seemed nice enough and it was always hard to make good friends. Plus, he seemed to be a veteran of the school, he could show her around.

Jin led Sam across the campus, chatting happily about his home, his family, and his hobbies. Sam nodded and tried to keep up with the boy who walked as fast as he talked.

"Here we are, this is the track field," Jin said, pointing to an expanse of land. There was a very neatly kept track and a variety of other track and field equipment, hurdles, long jump mats, things of that sort.

"Here, the track team is actually practicing now" Jin said, "let's go". Sam followed Jin to the track.

"Hey there Mark, this is a new student, Sam. Transferred from America. We want to have a 100 meter race!" Jin cried out to a boy who seemed to be the captain of the team.

"No problem, boys" Mark cried back, his voice very thick with his Irish accent "just get at the starting line, I'll time you"

"Wait, what? We are going to race right now?" Sam asked, surprised. She knew that Jin has said that he wanted to race, but she didn't actually think it was going to happen.

"Of course" Jin said "is there a problem?"

"What, oh, no…I just wasn't expecting to race…" Sam said.

"Oh, is it too hot? Is that the problem? You can take off your shirt if you want. Most people on the track team do" Jin said.

"WHAT? How could I take off my shirt?" Sam exclaimed. Jin looked at her, confused.

"You don't have to feel embarrassed about it" he said "we're all guys here. It's normal".

Sam blanched at his words. Of course it would be normal for guys to run without their shirts on. _Buck up, Sam, you are almost giving yourself away far too often_ she thought to herself.

"Oh, no worries. I am not too hot at all. Uh…let's race, yes?" she asked, jogging over to the start line. Jin shrugged and jogged over with her. They both stood at the start line and looked up at Mark, who already had a timer and a flag in his hand.

"Okay blokes. On the count of three. One. Two. THREE"

As soon as the word 'three' left Mark's mouth, Sam started to run as fast as she could. She had always enjoyed track events and it really was the only thing that she was good at. She had never been a great student or great at art. But on the track, she felt like she was exceptional.

Before she knew it, the 100 meters were over. She stopped and knelt, slightly panting. She turned around to see how Jin had done and saw everybody staring at her with a look of awe. Mark came up to her and looked down.

"You beat the school record," he said in shock. He looked her up and down, causing Sam to feel a bit uncomfortable. "How can someone with such short legs run so fast?"

"I just like to run" Sam mumbled, backing away from Mark and accidently running into Jin.

"Sam, you were brilliant!!" Jin said. "I will be happy to share my title as Saint Bartlby's Golden Right Foot with you!"

"What, oh thanks" Sam said, looking back at Mark and the rest of the track team who had their phones out.

"What are they doing?" Sam whispered to Jin. Jin looked over at the crowd and smiled.

"Ah, just texting their friends telling them about your amazing time probably" he said.

"What? Seriously? Why? I don't want the whole school to know about it" she grumbled.

"Well that is just the way that things go here" Jin answered, "everyone knows about everything that goes on"

"I don't know if I like that so much" Sam said, nervously. With a school like this, the chance of her secret getting out was much higher.

"Ah, it's not so bad. You get used to is after a while" Jin said "there are not too many kids in each form so you become like a big family anyway. Come on; let's go get something to eat. I'll show you were the dining hall is"

"Okay" Sam said, following him. She hadn't eaten in a while and her stomach was grumbling. Food did not sound like a bad idea at all. So, Sam and Jin left the track and started walking to the cafeteria, chatting lively. Sam felt good to have made a friend already, and Jin seemed eager to show the new students the ropes of the school.

The two entered back in the main campus of the school, walking past the Form 11 building and towards the dining. Suddenly a group of boys in various sports uniforms blocked their paths. In the front of them was a tall, muscular boy in a karate outfit. His hair was cropped short and his eyes were wild and slightly crazed.

"Sam Doroster" the boy in the karate uniform said, pointing a very long, very intimidating stick at her. Sam paled and backed away, not knowing what was going on.

"Yes" she answered, trying to sound as manly as possible.

"We heard that you beat the school record in the 100 meter dash" the boy continued. Sam nodded her head.

"We admire that and on behave of Dorm 1 I, Dorm Leader Mike, would to ask you to join our dorm. Your skill in sports will definitely aid is in the inter-dorm competition, " he said.

"Inter-dorm competition?" Sam asked.

"We always have little different competitions between the three dorms" Jin answered "the winning dorm in each competition gets different prizes"

"And with your skill you will surely help us win all of the prizes!" Mike added.

"Oh, well, I will surely think about joining your dorm" Sam said, trying to pacify the crazed looking leader.

"Think about it? NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

Mike's sudden outburst caused Sam to be taken aback for a second.

"We will have you in Dorm 1 no matter what we have to do!" Mike shouted, pointing his stick at Sam once again. "AFTER HIM!"

Suddenly all of the boys standing behind Mike started to run towards Sam. She stood there for a few second, in absolute shock before Jin pushed her.

"Come on, we have to run" he said. Sam nodded numbly and started running away from the group of boys who were chasing her. Her and Jin ran down the corridors and ducked into an empty classroom.

"I think we will be safe in here" Jin whispered.

"THINK AGAIN" a highly dramatic voice said from the corner of the classroom. Jin and Sam turned around to find smoke billowing into the room from the back doorway. Sam heard Jin moan beside her

"Oh god, it's Oscar" he said.

"Oscar?" Sam whispered.

"YES, it is I, Oscar" the voice continued. From within the smoke a figure appeared. He was wearing the typical uniform, but he had also added a flowing, gold cape to it. Then, as the smoke started to clear, a group of boys, all wearing various colored capes appeared behind Oscar, one of them holding a large fog machine and another holding a sort of boom box.

"Um…hello?" Sam said, confused out of her mind.

"Hello, exchange student Sam" Oscar said. "Let me formally introduce myself". He clapped his hands and the boy with the boom box immediately starting playing sweet yet dramatic music. Oscar waltzed over to Sam and Jin, doing some sort of interpretive dance to the music. He twirled in front of them before stopping. With great aplomb, he produced a single red rose from somewhere within the folds of his cape and held it out to Sam. She reached out and took it cautiously.

"I am Oscar" he said "Dancer, performer, brilliant artist, and leader of Dorm 3"

"Another dorm leader?!?" Sam exclaimed.

"On behalf of Dorm 3, I would like to extend you an offer to join our dorm" he said "I know that the other two dorms have probably already tried to recruit you—but do not be fooled! Dorm 3 can offer you fame, fortune, and riches. All we ask for in exchange is your loyalty and use of your track skills"

"Oh well, I will think about it" Sam said quickly. Oscar bowed deeply to her.

"Do not make a mistake in your choice, exchange student Sam" he said dramatically. He snapped his fingers and one of the boys tuned on the fog machine. He waited there, still in his semi-bow state, until the fog was thick again. He then turned around, his cape floating around him, and disappeared once more into the fog. The rest of Dorm 3 followed after him.

Sam just started at Oscar's receding back with a mix of shock and awe. From outside the classroom she could still hear the screams and shouts of Mike and the rest of the boys from Dorm 1.

"What is going on here?" she asked.

"Don't worry about it" Jin said "every student that transfers here goes through this. The dorms are always looking for new members to help out in the competitions."

"Will Dorm 2 be like this as well?" Sam asked.

"Nah, we are a bit more relaxed when it comes to recruiting new students" Jin said.

"What is the difference between the three dorms?" Sam asked.

"Well the secondary school here is divided into three dorms—each housed in different buildings, though we share the same main common room and dining hall. Dorm 1 is full of athletes. Most of them are here on athletic scholarships and Mike, their dorm leader, is very strict about training them. Dorm 3 is known as the artistic dorm. Most of the students there are either into dance or theatre or music. Their dorm leader, Oscar, is very dramatic and often has wild adventures and schemes he recruits his dorm to help him with. Dorm 2 is a bit of a mix. We have athletes, artists, and people who don't belong in either group. We are usually the most laid back of all the groups, but when it comes to the competitions, we usually win" Jin explained.

"So I have to pick which dorm that I will be a part of?" Sam asked. Jin nodded.

"We have a space available in dorm 2 if you would like it" Jin said, hopefully "the guys in the dorm are all really nice and I am sure you will get along with them"

"Well, you are the most normal person I have met since coming here" Sam said "and I don't think I would like to be in either of the other two dorms…"

"So it's settled!" Jin said excitedly. "Come quickly, I'll show you the dining room and the dorm". He quickly pushed Sam out of the room and took her down a hall, careful to avoid running into Mike or any of the other people from Dorm 1.

"You said that you had a space open in dorm 2" Sam said as they walked towards the dining hall "does that mean I will get my own room?"

"Um…no, you have to share it with one other person" he said.

"Oh, who is it?" Sam asked.

"Nobody important" Jin answered quickly. Sam stopped and looked at him.

"Jin, this boy is going to be my roommate, I think I should know who he is," she said.

"Uh, well…promise me you won't change your mind once I tell you" Jin said

"Is he that bad?" asked Sam

"Just promise" Jin retorted.

"Fine, I promise" Sam answered. Jin exhaled deeply.

"We only have one space open. So you are going to have to room with…Artemis Fowl"

**A/N: Alright, so there it was. What did you think of it? Again, your reviews would be much, much appreciated. Seriously, they are what keep me writing. So please review and make my day =) Gracias y besos**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Okay, here is the next chapter. Sorry I was so late getting it out, but I went home over break and was thoroughly distracted!! But anyways, I finally finished this chapter and I hope you enjoy it. Oh, and as I stated in the last chapter-- if you ever have the chance to see the drama Hana Kimi-- please, please do. I draw a bit inspiration for this story from that drama-- plus, it is my favorite show =) haha. Okay, enough of my ramblings, here's the story...**

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**Chapter 3**

Sam was quite impressed by her new dorm room. Artemis wasn't there when she first came in, so she had a few moments to survey her surroundings uninterrupted. The room wasn't extremely large, but it could be considered very spacious for a dorm room. There were two full size desks, two picture windows on the furthest wall, a bookshelf, a very comfortable looking couch underneath the windows, a large bathroom, and a bunk bed on the wall opposite of the door.

"We have to sleep in bunk beds?" Sam asked, slightly surprised. It wasn't all too odd, seeing as how bunk beds allowed more space, plus bunk beds were technically pretty common in all male prep schools—but still. The thought of having to sleep in a bunk bed was a little unnerving. Sam knew that keeping her identity a secret from Artemis would be difficult, but having to sleep in such close proximity to him would make it even more difficult.

The other thing that surprised Sam was the lack of decorating or personal items in the room. Jin had showed her around his room before leading her here—and the whole place was full of things. There were soccer posters on the wall, odd lamps cluttering the floor, a large TV, beanbags, and clothes and food wrappers everywhere. It was a typical male room. This room however, was perfectly neat and minimally decorated. The windows had heavy drapes that seemed to be made out of some sort of navy velvet. The couch had a matching navy throw and the floor had a plain, dark rug. Artemis's desk had nothing but a computer, a simple, plain lamp, a few notebooks, and a pen canister. The walls were bare; there were no added accessories anywhere except for a coatrack near the door and a small lamp next to the bottom bunk—which Sam assumed that Artemis slept in. The sheets on his bed were the same as everything, plain and simple. The only thing even slightly interesting in the room was the bookshelf next to the bunk, which was crammed with countless amounts of books, so much so that it looked a though it was going to burst if any other book was added. Sam went over and looked at the books. Most of them were in a foreign language, and the ones that were in English had titles so complicated that they might as well have been in a foreign language as well.

"No books on faeries, it looks like" Sam muttered, running her fingers down a row of books.

Suddenly she heard someone insert a key into the door. She immediately moved away from the bookshelf and to the bunk. The door opened and Artemis sauntered inside. He looked at Sam for a minute before taking off his coat, neatly hanging in on the rack and going over to his desk. Sam stood there for a moment, slightly shocked by the fact that he didn't even acknowledge her presence. She assumed he was still a little frightened by her aggressive actions earlier in the day.

Bucking up and summoning her courage, Sam decided to apologize to Artemis for her odd behavior. They were going to be roommates, after all—and he was the person who she had traveled all this way to talk to and get to know. Slowly, she approached Artemis. He was sitting as his desk, notebook open, writing down long strings of what seemed to be some sort of math equation.

"Hello" Sam said lamely. He didn't even look up.

"I am sorry for scaring you earlier" she continued, her fingers drumming patterns against the side of her legs, as they always did when she was nervous "I didn't mean to be creepy or awkward anything. I was just very new and you were the first person that talked to me, and I wanted to be your friend. And now that we are roommates I hope that we can get along. I still really would like to be your friend…"

Sam noticed that she was just babbling on, and getting more awkward as she babbled, so she stopped, looking at Artemis hopefully. The boy stopped writing in his notebook and put his pen down neatly. He slowly turned his head towards her and suddenly stuck four fingers in front of her face.

"Since we are now roommates, there are four rules you need to know about. One, I abhor messiness, so always make sure to clean up your belongings. If you invite any friends over to our room, make sure that they clean up after themselves as well. Messes make me upset. Two, my bodyguard Butler is always nearby; he shows up in the room often, he might even spend the night if need be. You must never get in his way and always do anything he tells you. Three, I get up at 6:30, take a shower and get ready and am out of the room by 7:10. Plan your schedule accordingly; I don't like to be disturbed in the mornings. And four, though we have been forced to be roommates I under no circumstance have any desire to be your friend or get to know you any better. Stay out of my business and I will stay out of yours."

And with that, Artemis turned back around and started writing in his notebook once more. Sam quietly scooted away from him, speechless. She had heard that Artemis was a bit antisocial, but she never knew that he was this cold as well. Finding out anything from him would be very difficult.

Before Sam had the chance to say anything, there was a knock on the door. Artemis just stayed seating, still writing, so Sam went to go answer it. She opened to door to find an extremely good-looking boy in front of her. He was a bit taller than she was, with shaggy brown hair that almost reached his shoulders. His eyes were a smoky, seductive sea-green color, and his mouth was curved in a wholly sexy smile. He was wearing a typical school uniform, but had a baby blue sweater tied around his neck, the sleeves dangling down the front of his shirt.

"Hello" the boy said, extending an arm out to her. Even his voice was seductive, deep and lazy "My name is Patrick. I am the head of Dorm 2"

"Oh, hi!" Sam said, quickly shaking the boy's hand, hoping he didn't realize how distracted she had been by his appearance. Patrick firmly shook her hand and let go, looking her over once and smiling.

"They didn't lie" he said slowly "you really do have quite the androgynous look. I even mistook you for a girl at first"

Sam chuckled nervously, "Yeah, a lot of people have said that. But I am actually very tough and manly"

"I am sure you are" Patrick said, "now come on, let me give you a proper tour of the dorms".

"Oh, okay" Sam said, carefully shutting the door and following Patrick out. He led her down the hall and to the stairwell.

"You are on the third floor of the dorm," Patrick said conversationally, "The fourth floor just consists of study rooms and also has a fully furnished kitchen, though god knows why"

Sam was about to interject and say that she enjoyed cooking, but she remembered who she was masquerading as. Cooking wasn't really a common hobby for boys, and Patrick already thought she was effeminate, she didn't need this as well.

"The dining hall is on the first floor," Patrick continued as they walked down the stairwell "it is the only part of the residential areas that all three dorms share."

"Patrick, can you tell me more about the inter-dorm competitions?" Sam asked "I know that they are a big deal around here"

"They are incredibly important at SB" Patrick said

"Wait, SB?" Sam interrupted.

"It is what we call Saint Bartlby's. Saying the full name is a pain sometimes. So we shorten it" Patrick explained as they came into the dining hall. There were still a few people sitting around, eating or just chatting with one another, some wearing sports uniforms, some wearing capes, and others just wearing their normal school uniforms.

"And about the inter-dorm competitions." Patrick continued "they are a most serious matter—at least to us in Dorm 2. They are usually very varied, range from sports competitions to beauty shows and anything in between"

"beauty shows?" Sam asked, thoroughly confused

"Oh yes, we always win at those" Patrick said, smiling "it would be a shame if we didn't, seeing our dorm's reputation"

"Our reputation? What is it?" Sam asked. Patrick smiled lazily at her and leaned against one of he dining hall walls.

"Well, Dorm 1 has a reputation for being the sports dorm, dorm 3 has a reputation for being the artistic dorm. Us in Dorm 2…we are known as the best looking dorm on campus" he said, leaning in closely and looking Sam up and down once more. Sam backed away nervously.

"The best looking dorm. Oh" she said, backing away.

"You will fit in well here" Patrick said. Suddenly Jin entered the dining hall.

"Hi, Sam!" he cried out, before noticing who was standing next to her, "woah, wait—what are you doing with him?"

"Now is that any way to talk about your dorm leader?" Patrick asked, slowly turning around and facing Jin. Jin walked over to the pair.

"Don't fall for any of Patrick's smooth talking, Sam" Jin said "he is known to everybody as the prince of seduction—seduces men and women alike"

"Oh please, I don't try to seduce men" Patrick said lightly "I just can't help being so utterly charming"

"All the girls in our sister school have a rumor that he can girl pregnant just by talking to her" Jin said, laughing.

"PREGNANT?" Sam cried, jumping away from Patrick and subconsciously pulling her jacket close to her.

"No need to be so scared" Jin said "you're a boy"

"Oh yes" Sam said, laughing heartily, mentally chastising herself "I am a boy—no way for me to get pregnant"

"Of course" Patrick said offhandedly "but for the record—I have never actually gotten a girl pregnant before"

"We know you haven't, Pat. I was just joshing around with you" Jin said.

"No need to scare the new boy yet" Patrick mumbled, "but if you are all set here, I have a date that I need to get to"

"Oh yes, please go" Sam said quickly, "thank you very much for the tour!"

"No problem" Patrick said, winking at her and Jin and walking out of the dining hall.

"Don't mind him, Sam" Jin said, "he might be a playboy, but he's our dorm leader and we all respect him immensely. You'll warm up to him after a while".

"Oh, I wasn't worried about Patrick at all" Sam said quickly, "he seems like a nice guy"

"A bit flaky, but a decent bloke when it comes down to it" Jin said, nodding, "but you seem a little flustered. If it isn't Patrick, then what is it?"

"Nothing really" Sam said, kicking the floor

"It's Artemis, isn't it?" Jin asked. Sam shrugged. She was still pretty upset over the boy's cold behavior.

"He's always been a hard one to get along with. I don't think he really likes other people," Jin said.

"But that's impossible" Sam argued, "a person can't hate everyone else in the world. He has to have some friends"

"Well he has that bodyguard of his—they seem to be good buddies. And trust me, everybody in this school is dying to be his friend" Jin said

"Really, why?" Sam asked, noting that she had asked more questions today than she probably had in her entire life. She didn't know why she was suddenly so inquisitive.

"Well, for some reason all the girls at our sister school seem to be in love with him" Jin said, "it is probably the whole, aloof, brooding mood he gives off. I bet they all fancy him to be their own person Mr. Darcy or something ridiculous of that sort"

"They probably just don't know him. I wonder if they would like him once they get to know his personality" Sam grumbled.

"It's because of his cold personality that girls find him so mysterious and apparently desirable" Jin said, shaking his head "bloody crazy, all of them. Just be thankful that you aren't a girl though, or else Artemis would be even worse"

"How so?" Sam asked.

"Well Artemis hates girls" Jin answered.

"Hates girls…do you mean that he's…you know...gay?" Sam asked. Jin just laughed.

"Oh gods no…well, at least I don't think so. He just always complains about how all the girls he meets are incredible annoying and so vain and on and on like that"

_Then I guess I have to be sure to never reveal myself to Artemi__s_, Sam thought resolutely, _or else I will fail in my final goal_.

But there was still the other goal that had been in the back of Sam's mind. After reading pages after pages of the boy's writings, Sam had found herself becoming strangely attached to him. She knew it was absolutely impossible for someone to be in love with another person just based on their writings, but she couldn't help but admire his writings greatly. Plus, after seeing him she had to admit that he was rather easy on the eyes. Maybe a little to thin for his tall frame, but still a wholly attractive specimen of man.

_Okay, Sam_, she thought to herself. _Two goals. One, don't ever reveal your identity to any of the students. And two—don't ever fall in love with Artemis Fowl._

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**A/N: Alright, there it is. Hope you enjoyed it! Please, please review. Your thoughts and comments mean are always so helpful and they certainly put me in the mood to write more!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, here is the next chapter. It's a long one and hopefully an enjoyable one!**

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**Chapter 4**

Sam soon found that living in close proximity to Artemis didn't make it any easier for her to talk to him; in fact it was quite the opposite. Most of the times he just ignored her presence, and whenever she tried to start a conversation, he would answer with one or two word replies if he even bothered to reply at all. After a week of this type of relationship, Sam was beginning to wonder if fulfilling her goal would even be possible.

"How can I ask him about faeries if I can't even talk to him" she grumbled, back from class.

"Ask who about what?" Jin said, catching up to her. Sam looked up at him and smiled. Though she had only been here for a week, Jin and her had already become rather close friends.

"Oh, nothing" she said, putting on a cheerful front, "I was just thinking about our lessons today"

"Okay then," Jin said happily, "are you going back to the dorms?"

"Yeah, I was just going to put my things down before going to track practice" Sam answered, nodding to her book bag.

"Me too, come on—let's hurry up, you know that we'll get chewed out for sure if we're late to practice again" Jin said as the two hurried back to the dorm. Jin's room was just down the hallway from Sam's.

"I'll just put my things down and meet you out here, okay?" he asked. Sam nodded and proceeded to her room. Inserting the key into the door, she opened it, expecting it to be empty and silent as always. Except this time it wasn't. Standing near her desk was the hugest, most intimidating man she had ever seen in her life. Sam stood by the door, paralyzed in fear. The man slowly turned around and looked at her. His gaze was cold and harsh and his face seemed to carry a rather frightening expression. He started walking over towards Sam. Just as he was about two feet away from her, she regained control of her senses. Screaming loudly, she shut the door, locked it, and ran into the hallway.

"HELP! HELP!" she cried, backing up against the furthest wall. Jin rushed out of his room, half changed, with a baseball bat in hand, and over towards her.

"What's the matter? Did you see a rat? They are huge here—I usually kill them with this bat" he asked. Sam lunged herself at him, shaking.

"There is a huge burglar rapist in my room!!" she cried, hugging onto his neck tightly.

"A burglar rapist?!?" Jin cried, shocked, "you usually don't hear about any of those in an all boy's school. He probably thought you looked like a girl"

Sam was too frightened to even argue. She just shook her head and pointed to her door with a trembling finger.

"Are you sure he's still in there?" Jin asked. Sam nodded. Jin walked slowly to the door, Sam still hanging off of his neck. He raised his bat, taking baby steps towards the room.

"Um, Sam, when you said that the burglar rapist was huge, how huge did you mean?" he asked, voice slightly shaking.

"He was like a mountain!" Sam cried, holding on to Jin even tighter. Jin gulped nervously, raising the bat even higher.

They were scant inches from the door. Suddenly Artemis walked into the hallway and to the room. He just stopped and looked at Jin, standing in front of the door with a raised baseball bat and Sam, shaking and hanging off of Jin. He just shook his head and proceeded to walk to the door and inserted his key into the hole. Before he had a chance to open the door, Sam peeled herself off of Jin and instead threw herself at Artemis, clinging onto his back.

"What the…what are you doing?" Artemis asked, nearly falling over from the force at which Sam had threw herself at him.

"Don't go in the room!" Sam cried, clinging on to his back even tighter, "There is a massive rapist in there"

"A what? Don't be ridiculous" Artemis said, trying to throw Sam off.

"No! I saw him with my own eyes! He as huge and mean, and he tried to come over to me but I locked him inside!" Sam said, pulling Artemis back, "I can't let you go in there!"

Just then the door opened. Jin rushed forward, bat in hand. Sam continued to try to pull Artemis the furthest away from the door as she possibly could. The huge, towering figure stood in the doorway before walking out into the hall.

"Butler?" Jin said in shock, bat still raised in the air. Butler looked over at the boy, took the bat from his hands, and snapped it in half.

"That is my bodyguard, you lunatic, not a rapist," Artemis snarled, throwing Sam off his back. Sam cowered behind him.

"Your…your bodyguard?" she whispered.

"Why were you so afraid anyways?" Artemis asked, distastefully brushing out the wrinkles in his sweater, "you have to be the most cowardly boy I have ever met"

"I'm not cowardly!" Sam cried out, rushing over to Butler, "see look, I'm standing right next to him!" She looked over at Butler triumphantly; only to find herself looking into a pair of the two darkest eyes she had ever seen. She slowly moved a little away from him.

"Butler, what are you doing here?" Artemis asked, smiling up at the man. Sam gasped. This was the first time that she had ever seen Artemis smile before. She remembered Jin telling her that Butler was Artemis's only friend before.

"I heard that you had gotten a new roommate. I came to see who he was," Butler answered, looking down at Sam, who smiled nervously at him.

"I assume that he is this boy-girl who locked me in your room?" he continued. Sam glared at the ground, seething.

"Who are you calling a boy-girl" she grumbled. Butler leaned down a bit.

"You must admit that you do have rather feminine features. I am sure you could pass off as a girl if you grew your hair out long enough" he said. Sam immediately moved away from him, frightened by his intense gaze. Thank god she had remembered to put on her chest protector today. She wasn't very well endowed naturally, and with the protector on, her body actually did look a little masculine.

"It takes more than facial features to be a girl' she mumbled.

"Sam, don't mind them," Jin said, coming up to her, "the two of them are always like that. But Butler isn't a bad guy, and he certainly isn't a rapist"

"How was I supposed to know. Showing up out of nowhere! I was scared out of my mind!" Sam said huffily.

"Don't worry about it, " Jin said, looking at his watch, "come on, we better get going. We are already late to practice!"

"Oh, okay. One minute" Sam said, running back into the room, carefully dodging Butler, who was looking at her with a look of amazement. She grabbed her bad and rushed out of the room.

"Alright, let's go now" she said, quickly leaving Artemis and Butler, "Jin, why are you only half dressed?"

"Oh, haha, I guess I just rushed out when I heard you scream. Plus, my track shirt is in my locker anyways. Come on, let's go" he said, and the pair of them walked away quickly.

Butler just stared at the pair as they walked away, chuckling to himself.

"What is so amusing?" Artemis asked, walking into the room, kicking away the pieces of Jin's ruined baseball bat.

"Your new roommate is quite the little spitfire, isn't he?" Butler asked, following the boy into the room.

"A nut, you mean" Artemis snarled, throwing his book bag onto his bed. Butler looked at the boy in surprise. He had never seen Artemis look that angry before.

"I thought the whole thing was amusing" Butler said lightly, "I have never been called a rapist before"

"Let's get off the topic of my daft roommate," Artemis said, "is Sam the only reason why you came here?"

"Well, no" Butler said, "Foaly sent me a message today"

"Foaly?" Artemis cried excitedly, suddenly coming nearer to Butler. "What kind of message? What did it say? Does he want us to do something? Does the LEP need something? Did Holly or Root send something as well?"

"I say one statement to you and you turn from Artemis Fowl into a 12 year old faerie fan girl" Butler stated, an amused look on his face.

"Don't be ridiculous, Butler, " Artemis said, "I am just curious to know all the details behind this message and the reason it was sent".

"There weren't many details," Butler said, "and I am not quite sure the purpose or reasoning behind it either"

"Is there anything you _do_ know, then?" Artemis asked dryly.

"Well the message that was sent said that you needed to meet Holly in exactly one month's time. Something very important, it seems" Butler said. Artemis immediately started pacing.

"One month's time? If it is so important then why do I have to wait so long?" he whispered to himself.

"Oh, and there is something else as well" Butler said. Artemis stopped pacing and looked up at him, a single eyebrow raised.

"The message said that you had to bring somebody else with you. Somebody human"

"Yes, you are going to be coming, of course" Artemis said, brushing the comment away.

"No, it is not that simple," Butler said, fishing a folded paper from his pocket, "I printed out a copy of the memo sent to me."

Artemis immediately took the paper from Butler's hands and started to read it.

"Artemis must bring with him another human, someone his own age. Since this matter is of the utmost secrecy, it must also be someone that he trusts wholeheartedly…WHAT?"

"I told you it wasn't that simple" Butler said, looking at the anger build up inside of Artemis.

"What does he mean by that? Someone my age who I can trust? Does Foaly know how kids my age are? Does he think that all of them act like me, can think like me?" Artemis cried out in frustration, racking his brains for anyone that he could take. "Juliet! I could take Juliet with me"

"I already talked to Juliet about this" Butler said, "She is in her final stages of her training at Madam Ko's. She won't be available for another year at least".

"Then who else is there left for me to take?" Artemis asked, "who else can I trust enough to share this with?"

"What about one of your classmates?" Butler suggested. Artemis just turned to him, aghast.

"Haven't you seen enough of my classmates to know that they are not the type of people I can take with me? Do you think there is one person here who I trust enough? One person here I actually like?" he asked.

"What about this new roommate of yours? He has the correct temperament to deal with all those insane faeries" Butler said. Artemis scoffed.

"Just because he is amusing doesn't mean that I find him trustworthy enough" he answered.

"Well you admitted he was amusing, that is more than you can say about anyone else here" Butler said, shrugging his massive shoulders, "you have a month to find somebody, anybody, that you trust enough to take to meet Holly"

"Fine, let's talk about another subject now" Artemis answered, glowering at the floor. This whole talk with Butler had put him in an awful mood.

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Sam walked slowly to practice, chatting happily with Jin about the next meet. The encounter with Butler had made her extremely nervous, and now she was trying to release her nervous energy by being more cheerful than usual.

"Let me see what kind of track shoes you have brought. Do you know certain ones can actually make you run faster?" Jin said as they neared the practice area.

"AH!" Sam cried, "I forgot my track shoes in my room! Tell coach I am going to be a little late. Let me go grab them"

"Oh, okay then" Jin said as Sam ran back to the room. The distance from the track to the dorms was not too far, but after the experience with Butler, Sam was still a bit in shock and her energy was already quite drained. She got back to the dorms, out of breath, and walked over to her room. The door was slightly ajar, and she could hear Butler and Artemis talking inside. She was just about to open the door fully when she caught a snippet of the conversation going on inside the room.

"What about this new roommate of yours? He has the correct temperament to deal with all those insane faeries" she heard Butler say. _Faeries_, Sam thought, almost beaming with joy. She had been wondering about different ways to bring up the topic of faeries with Artemis, and it seemed as though the perfect opening had just occurred.

"Just because he is amusing doesn't mean that I find him trustworthy enough" Artemis then said. Sam frowned a little. Sure, she was a fraud in this school, but she had always considered herself to be a pretty trustworthy girl when it came to things that really mattered.

"Well you admitted he was amusing, that is more than you can say about anyone else here. You have a month to find somebody, anybody, that you trust enough to take to meet Holly" Butler then said, before Artemis changed the subject. Sam quickly walked away from the door, down the hallway, and out of the dorm.

"A month before he has to meet Holly?" she wondered out loud, "what does that mean?"

But though she didn't know who Holly was and why Artemis had to bring somebody to meet her; she did get the main jist of the conversation. Artemis had a month to find somebody he trusted, and he would take that person to go see the faeries.

"I have to prove to Artemis that I am trustworthy!" Sam said, resolutely…"but how? How can a girl masquerading as a boy be considered trustworthy? I am lying every second of the day?"

Sam kept walking around the campus, thinking of various ways to get Artemis to trust her. She knew that it would be difficult, but that is what she came here to do, after all. She knew that the steps it would take to reach her goal would be difficult—and if she didn't do this then her whole reason for coming to Ireland and dressing up as a boy everyday would be for naught.

"Sam! Sam! There you are! I've been looking all over for you!"

Sam turned around and saw Jin running towards her.

"You skipped out on practice today. I thought you said you were going to get your track shoes?" Jin said once he caught up to her, "coach was pretty upset that you didn't show, but I said that you must not be feeling well"

"Yes!" Sam said quickly, "I am not feeling well. I went back to my dorm and my stomach just started hurting" Oh no, she thought, I was just thinking about ways to be trustworthy and I am already lying again!

"Your stomach? Really? That could be serious. Come on, I'll take you to the clinic!" Jin said.

"Oh, that's fine. I don't really need to go" Sam said quickly.

"Then you aren't sick?" Jin asked, raising his eyebrows at her. Sam immediately clutched her stomach and grimaced.

"It is a little painful" she said, "I guess a quick trip to the clinic won't hurt"

"Of course it won't, come on, quickly! This could be serious!" Jin said, starting to run, grabbing Sam's wrist to ensure that she followed.

But as soon as Jin grabbed Sam's wrist he felt as though a shock of electricity went through his whole body. He immediately let go and turned to stare at the small boy next to him. Sam looked up at him questioningly, and suddenly it seemed as though a sort of dazzling light surrounded the boy. Jin felt lightheaded just looking at Sam.

"Jin, are you okay?" Sam asked.

"I…I don't know" Jin answered, raising his hand to his head, "all of the sudden I feel lightheaded and my heart is beating fast I feel like it is going to pop out of my chest!"

"What? Are you getting sick too?" Sam asked

"Probably" Jin answered, "come, let's hurry to the clinic!" Jin clapped Sam on the shoulder and felt the same electric feeling coursing through him once more.

"Yes, come on" Sam said, running in front of him. Jin just started at Sam for a moment before shaking his head and following.

Dr. Murray was working on the last of his papers when the two teens burst into his office.

"Oh joy" he muttered to himself, shuffling his papers around before looking up at Jin and Sam.

"yes?" he said. He didn't see any cuts or visible rashes. It might not be too bad after all.

"Sam has a stomach ache!" Jin said, pointing. He was standing as far away from Sam as possible, in hopes of not getting shocked again.

"You came to the school clinic to see a doctor because you have a stomach ache?" Dr. Murray asked, looking up in surprise. His eyes narrowed as he looked at Sam. Something wasn't right about this boy.

"I am also…very…tired" Sam muttered, eyes closing. All the experiences today had been too much from her—from meeting Butler to overhearing the conversation to stressing out about ways to make herself more trustworthy, even running to the health clinic. All of them had taken it's tool on the girl, and she felt the edges of her eyes going dark.

"She's going to faint!" Dr. Murray said, immediately getting up and catching Sam as she fell. He then took her and carried her over to one of the beds.

"He, right?" Jin asked.

"What?" Dr. Murray said, tucking Sam into the covers.

"You said 'she is going to faint'. I was just correcting you. Sam is a he" Jin explained.

"Oh yes" Dr. Murray said, shaking his head. "Are you here for a reason as well? Because if not then you can kindly leave my office."

"No, no…I think I am getting sick!" Jin said.

"Symptoms?" Dr. Murray asked, his tone bored.

"I am feeling lightheaded, slightly feverish. My heart is beating extra fast and my stomach is fluttering" Jin said. Dr. Murray just looked at him, flabbergasted.

"Do these symptoms usually show up when you are near a certain person?" Dr. Murray asked.

"I suppose so" Jin answered.

"When you touch that person does it feel like an electrical current is running through your body?" the doctor continued.

"Yes! Yes, exactly like that!" Jin answered excitedly. Dr. Murray just wacked the boy on the shoulder.

"You are not sick, you daft child. You are in love" he said.

"In….in…in love?" Jin stammered.

"Al those feelings you just described are common to a person in love. You should probably go confess to the girl you like if you want the symptoms to stop" Mr. Murray said.

"Oh…okay…thank you" Jin said quickly before rushing out of the clinic. Once outside, Jin ran as far away from the building as he could get.

"….In love?" he cried, "how can I be in love? It's impossible!" He thought back to when he had first grabbed Sam's wrist—how a beautiful light seemed to shine around him. He found himself inadvertently smiling at the memory.

"**NO!**" he cried, yelling at himself "Sam is my best friend. I am not in love with him!"

With that he started walking resolutely back to the dorm, but his mind wandered back to earlier in the day, when Sam had hung onto him so tightly when he thought Butler was a rapist. He was so light, so frail…so…

"**NO!!**" Jin cried out once more, rubbing his head with his hands. "I'm not gay. I don't love Sam. Please, please, please don't let me be in love with Sam"…

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**Aww, poor Jin =) I really did enjoy writing this chapter a lot and I hoped that it showed. As always, your comments are appreciated so much! Seriously, I would like to hear anything you have to say: compliments, criticisms, plot ideas. Anything. All of you guys rock!! Gracias y besos!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Alright, here's the next chapter!! There is quite a plot twist in this one, hope you enjoy!!**

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 5**

Artemis sat at his desk, notebook open in front of him, completely unable to concentrate on anything. The message that Butler had given him earlier that day was still playing in his mind, still infuriating him. Why did he need to bring another person? He was Artemis Fowl! He possessed the most brilliant mind the modern day had ever seen! He was perfectly capable of doing anything by himself.

Sighing, Artemis turned around in his chair, surveying his room. It was strangely quiet…why? He suddenly realized that Sam hadn't come back yet. For once, the room wasn't filled with the boy's chattering or requests. Artemis turned and looked at the clock: 12:30. Why wasn't Sam back yet?

"Probably going to come bounding in here any minute, annoying me" he muttered, turning back to his notebook. He could envision Sam bursting into the room with that ratty track bag babbling on about his practice, or trying to offer Artemis a midnight snack he had just bought, or telling him some story about another one of their insane classmates.

"Bloody mad, that boy is" Artemis said to himself, brushing a few stray hairs away from his face, "I tell him not to talk to me, yet he still insists on it". The boy did have spunk, though, Artemis had to admit. And while his behavior could get aggravating after a while, he was still an amusing thing to have around.

_Wait, what am I thinking_, Artemis suddenly asked himself._ It is probably because I am suddenly trying to find somebody I could bring with me, that's why I am actually thinking positive thoughts about one of my classmates._ Plus, Artemis was usually fast asleep by 10 p.m. He was obviously just very tired and too worked up to think cohesive thoughts.

He turned back to his notebook, writing down the findings of his latest experiment. Half an hour later, he looked up again.

"It is 1 a.m and Sam still isn't back yet," he mumbled. Sam was new to the school, what if he was wandering around campus, lost? The school grounds got cold after dark.

"I don't want to get blamed if he got lost and something happened to him," Artemis said, getting up and putting on his sweater. If Sam was indeed lost, Artemis knew that the insane president of the school would blame him. He could even hear the president's shrill voice yelling at him inside his head…

"Artemis Fowl! How could you possibly let your roommate get lost? This school is built on the foundation of the beauty of brotherhood! It is if the utmost disgrace for you to let your fellow brother get lost on these grounds late at night!"

"What a pain" Artemis groaned as he walked outside of the room, down the stairs, and out of the dorm. The wind was already starting to pick up, and Artemis felt a deep chill, though he was wearing his sweater.

"Where in the world could that boy be?" Artemis asked himself. He mentally pictured the map of the school. Sam certainly wasn't in Dorm 2. The other 2 dorms were closed to outside members after 12, and he hadn't seen Sam as he passed by the dining all. All the academic buildings would be closed by now too.

"My best bet would be to go to the track and see if he is still there" Artemis said, briskly walking towards the track, "maybe I should just call Butler and ask him to look. He is a lot better at tracking someone down"

Artemis reached down to take out his phone when he saw Jin walking around in circles, mumbling to himself. He was wearing nothing but a light t-shirt and shorts and Artemis wondered how the boy wasn't freezing. Artemis breathed deeply, and casting away his pride, went up to Jin.

"No love. No, no, no, no, no no love" Jin was muttering, his eyes gazed over. He didn't even notice when Artemis came up to him. After awkwardly standing there for a few moments, Artemis decided to he should probably take the first step and address Jin. _I can't believe I am actually going to talk to him_, Artemis thought bitterly.

"Jin" he said loudly, tapping the boy on the shoulder. Jin spun around, almost in fright.

"I am not in love with a boy!" he yelped. Artemis looked at him in utter confusion for a moment before deciding it was best to dismiss the statement all together. He didn't really want to know the reason behind it.

"I was wondering if you knew where Sam was. It is already 1 and he hasn't come back to the room yet" Artemis said. Jin blanched at the mention of Sam's name.

"I don't know anything about him!" Jin cried, "I'm his best friend. That's all! I just took him to the infirmary. That's it. Nothing else. He's my best friend. My best friend", and with that he ran away from Artemis, once again muttering to himself.

Artemis really didn't understand most of what Jin said—and usually not understanding something would worry Artemis…but this was Jin, and Artemis never really ever understood the boy no matter what he said. But the one thing that he did understand in Jin's garbled speech were the words 'I just took him to the infirmary'

"The infirmary?" Artemis asked, "why would Sam be there? What happened to him?" He quickly turned around and hurried to the clinic. Once there, he went up to the door, finding it open. He carefully went inside the infirmary, but before he section where the patients were kept, he heard voices.

"Sam…are you awake now?" Dr. Murray asked.

"Barely" Sam whispered back. Artemis noted that Sam's voice sounded higher for some reason.

"You fainted out of exhaustion, you must have had a busy day," the doctor continued. Artemis shook his head, it was probably the whole business with Butler being mistaken as a rapist that got Sam in the state he was.

"It's been an odd week," Sam answered.

"Yes, getting accustomed to a new school so far away from home must be difficult, right?" the doctor asked.

"It's been okay so far, just a little overwhelming" Sam said. _Why is his voice so high all of the sudden_, Artemis wondered,_ higher pitched voice is usually not a symptom of exhaustion._

"Okay, I just have one question for you before you can rest again" Dr. Murray said. Artemis sensed a change in the doctor's voice and huddled even closer to the door, not wanting to miss anything.

"Yes?" Sam asked

"What in the world" Dr. Murray asked, leaning closer to Sam, "is a girl doing in an all boy's school?"

Artemis backed away from the door gasping. Luckily for him, Sam screamed at the same time, so his position was not revealed. _**A girl?!?**_ Artemis thought, mind racing, Sam was a girl? The person that he had been sharing a room with for the past week was a girl?

"How did you know?" Artemis heard Sam whisper harshly at Dr. Murray. _She isn't even denying it_, he thought, _that daft girl_

"It is late" Dr. Murray said, getting up, "we will discuss the details about this first thing tomorrow morning"

"Are you going to kick me out of the school?" Sam asked.

"I said we will talk about this tomorrow" the doctor answered, "as for now, get some sleep"

"Here? But…Artemis might be worried if I don't come back" Sam said. Dr. Murray scoffed.

"Artemis Fowl, worried? Over someone else? What an amusing little thought. I don't think you know your roommate at all if you think he is going to be worried about you," he answered. Artemis frowned from his hiding place.

"I…I suppose your right" Sam answered, "but I do think you should at least go tell him not to worry, just in case"

"I just saw through your farce, little girl. I think you have larger problems to deal with than your roommate possibly worrying about you" Dr. Murray said, standing up and closing the curtain around Sam's bed, "go to sleep. We shall continue this in the morning"

Artemis quickly, and quietly, left the clinic—absolutely shocked. Sam was a girl? How could he have not picked up on this fact? He was a registered genius! Maybe it was the fact that it was an all boy's school, the thought that there would be a girl here never crossed his mind.

"No wonder he looks feminine," Artemis said, shaking his head, "and everyone thought that he just had delicate features"

Artemis walked back to the dorm slowly, expecting a feeling or rage to wash over him—just as it did when he thought about other girls his age. But instead of rage, curiosity spread through his mind. His question was the same as Dr. Murray's—what was she doing here? Why would a girl dress up as a boy and travel halfway across the world to attend SB?

"I'll just ask her point blank when she gets back in the room tomorrow," Artemis decided, as he walked back into his dorm and straight into Jin.

"What in the…Jin!" Artemis cried, looking up at the boy, who was still walking around in a daze.

"Jin, it's 1:30, go back to your room," Artemis said, rubbing his shoulder, which was throbbing after running into Jin, "what are you made out of, steel?"

"I seem to have forgotten where my room is…" Jin muttered, eyes gazed over, acting spacey. Artemis leaned forward and looked at the boy. It seemed as though he was in some kind of trance.

"I think you are the one that needs to go to the infirmary," Artemis muttered before walking away.

"NO! Jin cried, latching onto Artemis, "don't take me there—don't take me to the infirmary!!"

Artemis pushed the boy off of him, "you are a raving lunatic, why would I ever spend more time than necessary with you, let alone take you anywhere? Either stay here and continue being barking mad or go to your room. Just don't bother me anymore" he said, walking up the stairs, shaking his head.

"I have larger things to worry about at this time," Artemis mumbled to himself as he walked down the silent hallway and into his room. He sighed, looking around the room at all of Sam's belongings. At the odd, multicolored lamps she had put up everywhere, at the bright yellow bed sheets she had brought, at her desk, which was cluttered with papers, neon colored sticky notes, and notebooks. He walked over to the desk and picked up a bright green sticky note.

"Say one nice thing to Artemis today" he read out loud, chuckling slightly to himself at Sam's insanity. He put the sticky note down and was about to move away when Sam's notebook suddenly caught his eye. It was open to last class's notes, and it seemed as though Sam had spent more time doodling in the margins than actually taking any notes. Artemis picked up the notebook and looked at the drawing. They all consisted of rough sketches of what seemed to be little people with pointed ears.

"Faeries?" Artemis asked, eyes widening. Where they supposed to be drawings of faeries? Could San know about Haven? Could she know about faeries? Artemis took the notebook with him and put it on his bedside table. He would have to ask her about this one as well…

"Tomorrow" he said to himself, "tomorrow I will confront her and see what she really wants".

* * *

The next day Sam woke up, completely refreshed…and completely oblivious to where she was. She looked down at the stark white sheets, the whitewashed walls, the rows of beds.

"This isn't my room!" she cried, "where are my sheets, my bed, where is Artemis?"

"Ah, I see you are awake Miss Doroster" Dr. Murray said, entering the room. Sam looked up at him and all the events from the night before flashed into her head. She groaned and pulled her blanket up around her, covering her face.

"No point in hiding from me, now. I already know your little secret" the doctor continued, walking up to the bed and sitting in a chair next to it. Sam lowered the blanket, and looked at the doctor. He seemed like a fairly young man, in his late twenties or early thirties. He has large, expressive brown eyes and long black hair pulled back into a ponytail. Sam assumed that all the employees of the school had to pass the "attractiveness test" as well.

"How…how did you know I am a girl?" Sam asked him. Dr. Murray just smiled and leaned in closer. Sam backed away a little.

"For one thing, I am a doctor. We can tell things. And even if I wasn't a doctor… I'm gay," he said, pointedly. Sam gasped and scooted closer to the man.

"What?" she asked, "really?"

"Yes" the doctor said, "and I could tell right away that you were not a male".

"A gay doctor working in an all boy's school? Don't you think that is a little offsetting?" Sam asked. Dr. Murray just smiled ruefully at her.

"This is my alma mater. They asked me to work here, and so I do. Plus, none of the students interest me…they are too…student-like" he said. Sam nodded her head, though she really didn't understand what the doctor was saying.

"But you haven't answered my question yet" Dr Murray continued, "what are you doing in an all boy's school"

Sam took a deep breath and started telling the whole story to Dr. Murray, from her grandmothers obsession with faeries and her dying wish to countless hours of research, all leading up to Artemis Fowl.

"So you traveled halfway across the world, dressed up as a bloke, and came to an all boy's school just because you believe that Artemis Fowl might have something to do with faeries?" Dr. Murray asked. Sam nodded her head vigorously.

"Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?" Dr. Murray asked, "faeries? You are going through all this trouble because you believe an SB student has some knowledge about mythical creatures? "

"It's my grandmother's dying wish!" Sam retorted, " Even if he doesn't know anything, there is still a possibility"

"Are you sure that is the only reason why you are staying?" Dr. Murray asked, leaning in closer to the girl.

"Yes, what else are you thinking of?" Sam asked, confused.

"Are you sure you didn't come here just to be with Artemis?" the doctor asked.

"Please, I never even met or saw the kid before I cam here" Sam answered, "I wouldn't go through all this trouble just to be with him"

"Well what about now," Dr. Murray asked, "now that you have met him. His temper might be a bit short, but he is a genius, right? And he isn't hard on the eyes. Plus, I heard he was popular with the ladies"

"I doesn't matter what I think about him," Sam answered, "Artemis hates girls. I will never reveal myself to him! At least, not until I get to see the faeries"

"So you still think that faeries exist" Dr. Murray asked. Sam nodded her head resolutely.

"Okay then, you can go" the doctor said, getting up. Sam burst out of the bed.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I thought I was perfectly clear. You can go back now. I think you are sufficiently rested," Dr Murray said, walking back to his desk.

"You mean…you mean you are not going to tell anyone about me being a girl?" Sam asked, excitedly. Dr. Murray turned around to face her.

"If you had come here just to be surrounded by good looking boys, or to chase some bloke, then yes, I would have revealed you and had you kicked out," he said, "but if you are just here to fulfill the dying wish of your delusional grandmother…well even I am not heartless enough to stop you"

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sam said, launching herself at the doctor, hugging him tightly.

"Okay, no hugging" Dr Murray said, prying Sam off of him, "are you trying to make my physically ill?"

"Thank you so much, Dr. Murray!" Sam said again, grinning widely.

"Alright, stop smiling like an idiot and get out of my office," Dr. Murray said, looking down at the small girl.

"Thank you! Thank you!" she kept repeating. The doctor sighed heavily.

"**GET OUT!**" he cried—pointing to the door, "before I change my mind". Sam nodded furiously, grabbed her jacket and track bag, and ran out of the door, crying out her thanks to the doctor once again.

"My secret is safe!" she cried out happily, practically running back to the dorm in elation. She saw Jin walking around outside of the dorm and in a moment of sheer happiness, she hugged him tightly, throwing the boy completely off guard.

"Sam!" Jin cried out, in shock and what seemed like a little fear.

"Isn't it a wonderful day, Jin?" she asked, eyes sparkling with happiness. Jin almost fainted looking at her eyes—so large, so bright.

"Um, sure, I suppose," he answered, confused, "are you okay now? Did Dr. Murray say it was alright for you to go?"

"Oh yes," Sam said, "he said it was perfectly fine!" And with that she just turned and pranced into the dorm—leaving a very awestruck, lightheaded, and confused Jin in her wake.

"Sam! Are you sure you are okay?" she heard him calling. Laughing, Sam bounded up the stairs of the dorm and went to her room. The door was already unlocked and she went inside, throwing her jacket on the coat holder and her track bag near the door. Artemis was sitting on his bed, dressed in his normal, formal fashion—reading a book. He looked up when she came into the room.

"Hello Artemis!" Sam said, grin lighting up her whole face.

"You seem to be in a good mood" he commented, looking back down at his book.

"Wonderful mood," Sam answered, walking over to her desk and sitting down in the chair, "it's beautiful outside today! We should go on a walk! Do you want to go on a walk?" Artemis didn't even look up from his book. _So I suppose Dr. Murray decided not to reveal her secret_, Artemis thought, _strange_.

"Sorry I didn't come back last night, I hope I didn't worry you" Sam said. Artemis raised his eyes from his book.

"I didn't even notice," he said. He saw Sam's bright smile falter a bit.

"Oh, I suppose you went to sleep early as always, that's why you didn't notice" she said. Artemis looked back down at his book. _How am I supposed to confront her about being a girl_, he thought, _it feels slightly uncomfortable_.

"I saw that they had strawberry bread downstairs in the dining hall," Sam continued on, "it's my favorite! Have you had breakfast yet? We should go! Are you hungry?"

"Not hungry" Artemis replied, not looking up. He was a genius. He should be able to think of some way to confront Sam about her being a female. But how in the world would one go about doing that?..._So I creepily overheard the conversation between Dr. Murray and yourself and I know that you are a girl_… No, that would never do. First because it just sounded slightly stalker-esque and secondly because Artemis had no good excuse for why he was at the infirmary, and there was no way in this world that he was going to admit that he had been worried about Sam.

"Oh, okay, I guess I will just go with Jin, then" Sam said, getting up. She turned to leave the room.

"Sam, wait" Artemis said, stopping her. Sam turned around, a bit confused and shocked. Artemis had never really talked to her nor cared about what she was doing before.

"Yes?" she asked. Artemis just looked at her. He couldn't confront her about her sex, but there was still the matter of the drawings in the margins of her notebook. He knew that Sam couldn't have possibly have been drawing faeries—they were probably just bad renditions of their classmates. But still, there was a slight possibility. Slowly, he took the notebook off his bedside table and held it out to her.

"I saw this on your desk," he said, holding it out to her, "the drawings in the margins. What are they?"

Sam leaned forward, looking at the drawings. Her mouth curled up into a grin as she saw what they were. Slowly, she raised her large, emerald eyes up to Artemis. This was her chance. She cocked her head to one side and smiled.

"They are faeries," she answered, smiling widely at the look of shock that crossed the boy's face.

* * *

**A/N: Ok, so what did you think of that one? As always, your reviews are greatly appreciated! I would love to know what you guys think of the story-- If you like it, don't like it, have plot details you want included in, have any pairs you would like to see get together-- anything! Hearing your comments makes my whole day and I appreciate them so much!! Gracias y besos!**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I had a lot of fun writing this chapter!! In fact, I am having a lot of fun writing all of these chapters, and I hope that all of you guys are having an equally fun time reading them! Here we are-- chapter 6!!**

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* * *

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 6**

Artemis stared at the girl in front of him, speechless, which was a first for the boy. Had he heard correctly?

"Pardon me?" he asked.

"I said they are faeries," Sam said, smiling widely. Artemis's shockingly blue eyes were boring holes into her, but she didn't mind much. The satisfaction of knowing that she had caught the boy completely off his guard was sweet enough.

The gaze in the boy's eyes suddenly softened just a bit, and Sam was thrown off balance. He was supposed to be shocked and scared, why wasn't he?

"Faeries?" Artemis said, his eyes portraying a certain sense of amusement, "how quaint. Don't you think you are a little too old to be drawing fantasy tales in class?"

Sam just looked at him. So he was going to play this game? He was going to pretend to be ignorant. _I mustn't let him ignore this,_ Sam thought resolutely. _This is my time to talk to him about faeries. If I don't do it now, who knows when I will get another chance?_

Slowly Sam nodded and walked over to Artemis's bed, plopping down on it.

"I know I might be too old for such things," she said forlornly, "but I grew up hearing stories about faeries. My parents were in the entertainment business and they moved around quite often when I was a child. So my grandmother ended up raising my brother and me. She would tell us stories about faeries all the time"

"It seems odd for your grandmother to be telling two young boys stories about faeries" Artemis said, deciding that he would keep on pretending that Sam was a boy until he figured out what she was here for.

"I suppose," Sam answered, "but they were her obsession. She would tell us all sorts of stories about them, about how they lived underground, how they were a lot like humans—with special police forces and everything"

Artemis, had he been a less reserved boy, would have probably balked at Sam's words. _Who was this girl's grandmother_, Artemis thought, _and how did she know so much about faeries?_

"She passed away two years ago," Sam continued, "and her dying wish was for me to complete her ultimate goal of seeing a real faerie".

"But faeries aren't real", Artemis interjected, looking straight at the girl. What did she know?

"That is what I thought too," Sam answered, "I thought that grandma was just insane. But then I started to research"

Artemis's mouth went dry at the words. What had the girl in front of him found? Was this the reason why she was here? In order to find him?

Sam looked up at Artemis, her large, emerald eyes locking in on his bright blue ones. True, the boy still intimidated her to no end, but this was it. This next sentence would determine whether this whole trip would be a success or not.

"And all of my research," she said, her voice soft, "led to one name"

"Who?" Artemis asked, leaning forward. He already knew the answer. She knew he already knew the answer. But it still had to be spoken.

"Artemis Fowl" she whispered. Artemis just stayed where he was, slightly bent towards Sam, his eyes looking intently at her. At her delicate features, at those large, inquisitive eyes. And somewhere among that small face and large eyes he found safety and trust.

_But how_, he thought, still leaning towards her, _how is it that I trust her? She's lying to me. She's been lying to everybody by saying that she is a boy. Plus, she is a girl. All girls have ever done is chase after me, babbling nonsense. Did she come here for the faeries or to chase after me? Either way, I can't deal with this, not with her around._

Artemis suddenly straightened up and walked towards the door, grabbing his sweater from the coat rack.

"Are you not going to say anything?" Sam asked, getting up, walking towards him. Artemis just put on his sweater and reached for the doorknob. Sam ducked underneath him and threw herself against the door, blocking him from exiting.

"I traveled halfway across the globe, to an unfamiliar country, to an unfamiliar school—just for you, and you are not going to say anything?" she asked. Artemis backed away a little at her words.

"I already told you before, I am not interested in that kind of relationship," he muttered, harshly gazing at him. Sam frowned deeply.

"I am not gay," she barked.

"I know!" Artemis replied, equally as severe

"Then why do you keep assuming that I want to have some kind of relationship with you? I came here because you are the only person who knows something about faeries. You are the only person who can help me fulfill grandma's dying wish!" Sam said. Artemis just groaned and pushed her out of the way.

"I am going for a walk. We will talk about this later" he mumbled as he left the room. Sam just stood there, looking at his receding back. Shaking her head, she ran out into the hallway.

"Don't think I am going to forget about this, Artemis!" she yelled. Artemis just continued walking, down the hallway and then to the stairs, not even turning around or acknowledging Sam in the slightest bit.

Jin, hearing Sam's yells, opened the door to his room, looking out.

"Sam, is everything okay?" he asked. Sam just stood in the hallway, shaking a bit out of anger. She had just told Artemis the whole reason why she had come here and he just walked out on her?

"Sam?" Jin asked, slowly walking up to her. Sam just turned to him, a scowl marring her face.

"You two had another fight, didn't you?" Jin asked. Sam nodded her head, still scowling.

_He looks so miserable and upset_, Jin thought, heart wrenching. _I just want to hold him and tell him everything is going to be alright_.

_Wait…NO! I can't do that!_ Jin thought, backing away from Sam a little, _I can't continue thinking things like this. But what can I do? Sam is my best friend, I can't just ignore him all the time. I need to…I need to…_

"I need to get a girlfriend!" Jin said suddenly, a smile crossing his face. Sam looked up at him, utterly confused. Hadn't they just been talking about Artemis? Where did this outburst come from?

"What?" Sam asked.

"I need to get a girlfriend," Jin said, once again, nodding his head vigorously. That was exactly what he needed to take his mind off of Sam.

"Jin, what's the matter? Weren't we talking about Artemis? How did you get onto this subject?" Sam asked, reaching out and touching Jin on the shoulder. Jin stiffened a little and then moved away, smiling broadly.

"A girlfriend," he said, resolutely. Then he turned around, threw his head back and yelled as loud as he could, "From this moment on, I, Jin—SB's Golden Right Foot- am on a search for the perfect girlfriend!"

Sam, scooted back, slightly afraid and very taken back by Jin's yelling. She would think that there was something seriously wrong with him—but this was Jin, and though his actions were a little odd, that was normal for him. He was always a little more…enthusiastic about showing his emotions than others.

Sam turned her head and saw the door to Jin's room open. Out of it came Liam, Jin's roommate. Liam was a couple of inches shorter than Jin, with choppy blonde hair that reached his shoulders. He had extremely delicate features, was quite pale, and had eyes that were so blue that they seemed to be violet.

"What is happening?" Liam asked in his customary lazy voice. Liam's whole appearance was always one of a person who never got enough sleep. His eyes were always hooded, his movements lethargic, and his voice had a perpetual sleepy tone to it.

"It's Jin…just acting like Jin" Sam answered, looking over at her friend, "it seems as though he suddenly wants a girlfriend"

"A girlfriend?" Liam asked, leaning lazily against the frame of the doorway, "that could be why his aura has been so strange lately"

Sam shuddered a little bit. Liam was known throughout school for his ability to see ghosts and read auras. Most people thought that he was just a mad boy or a crack—but after learning about the existence of faeries, Sam had a hard time thinking that ghosts weren't real as well.

"Stop scaring Sam," Jin said, looking towards his roommate, "sometimes you really do talk too much".

"All I am saying is that your aura has been rather romantically conflicted," Liam answered, raising his hooded eyes towards Jin, "I actually thought that the one you fancied was S…"

"Okay! Enough of this talk", Jin said quickly, rushing to his roommate, "I am on a quest to find a girlfriend now. Who cares about what my aura was like?" He glared at Liam, who just lazily shrugged his slight shoulders.

"Just observing," Liam said sluggishly.

"Now what is this about a new girlfriend?"

Everybody turned around and saw Patrick walking up to them, his gait slow and seductive.

"I thought I felt the mood blackening" Liam whispered. Patrick shot a dirty look at the boy.

"Dorm head" Jin said, smiling widely at him, "I decided that I needed to find a girlfriend"

"I know that" Patrick answered, "I don't think there is anybody at SB who didn't hear your shout".

"You are popular with the ladies," Jin said, moving up to him, "do you know of any girls that could possibly be interested in me?"

"Ahhh, you have come to the right boy," Patrick said, pulling a small but thick black book out of his pocket and handing it over to Jin. Jin opened the book and looked through it. It was filled with girl's names and their numbers.

"You can't be serious" Sam said, looking over Jin's shoulder at the book, "boys keep 'little black books' as well? I thought that was only a girl's thing"

"When you are as popular as I am, you have to use all methods at your disposal," Patrick answered, smiling down at Sam.

"Why do you have guy's numbers in here as well?" Jin asked, flipping through the pages. Patrick snatched the book from him.

"Do you want this or not?" he demanded, waving the book in front of Jin.

"Yes, yes, of course I do!" Jin answered.

"Then don't ask questions," Patrick answered, tossing the tome back at him, "last time that I will help you with anything" he mumbled.

"Dorm leader," Liam said, eyes glassed over, "why is your aura so embarrassed?"

"Embarrassed? My au…stop talking nonsense!" Patrick said, shooting another dirty glance at Liam before walking up to Jin.

"This book has the name and number of virtually every student at our sister school," he said, tapping the book, "I am sure that you will use it wisely"

"This is wicked!" Jin said, beaming.

"But these are only their numbers," Patrick continued, "in order to woo a girl, you must behave in a certain manner. You must tone down your energy a little and remember to always stay cool"

"You know what this reminds me of?" Jin gushed, completely ignoring Patrick's words, "it reminds me of Harry Potter! You know when Fred and George give Harry the Marauders Map? This is like that! Except instead of giving me secret passageways out of the school, you are giving me secret passageways into ladies' hearts!"

Patrick just stared at Jin for a few moments, completely dumbstruck. "You are a complete loss. Good luck trying to wrangle a poor girl to date you," he said, walking away.

"Dorm leader—thank you!!" Jin cried out. Patrick just shook his head.

"I am going to get a girlfriend for sure!" Jin cried, excitedly looking through the book.

"But how?" Sam asked, "all that are in there are girl's numbers. You can't just randomly call one up and talk to them, that would be too weird…even for you"

"You are right," Jin said, slowly closing the book, "but what can I do? I have all of their names right here. I don't want to waste them…"

"Give me the book," Liam said, holding a thin arm out, "maybe I can read their auras through their names and tell you one that will match well with you".

"No way!" Jin cried, clutching the book tightly, "there is no way that I am going to let you read my future girlfriend's aura! That is too creepy!"

"Well what else can you do?" Sam asked. Jin shrugged his shoulders.

"How about you just go to our sister school and see if there is any girl that interest you there," Liam suggested. Jin turned slowly to him.

"Liam…" he said, "I think you might have just had your first good idea ever"

"Go to our sister school?" Sam asked, "how far away is it?"

"Not far, maybe a twenty minute walk," Jin answered, "Saint Catherine's School for Young Ladies…you must have seen it on your way here." Sam strained to think of what she saw on the cab ride over.

"Oh, was it that large place with the nice garden in front of it?" she asked. Jin nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, That is SC" he said, "the home of my future girlfriend"

"Well, good luck finding her!" Sam said, giving Jin a thumbs up. He looked at her, confused.

"Wait, aren't you going to come with me?" he asked. Sam looked at him, startled.

"What…me? Come with you?" she asked.

"Of course, you are my best friend. I need your opinion about which girl is right for me" Jin said. Sam shook her head.

"It's best if I didn't go, Jin. I am not really in the mood. Plus, I need to be here in case Artemis comes back" she said.

"Oh," Jin said, "well then I will wait until tomorrow then! Hopefully you will be in a better mood!"

"What? No—go on without me, Jin" Sam said hurriedly, "I am sure you will be able to find a girl without me"

"Oh please, how am I supposed to find a girl without my best friend's approval?" Jin scoffed, "worry not—we shall go tomorrow. For right now, just take care of yourself and Artemis"

"Oh...okay" Sam said. Jin patted her on the shoulder before sheepishly moving away.

"Just remember, if things get nasty and you need someone to talk to, just come on over," he said.

"I know a good tea broth that will soothe the spirits," Liam added in, smiling softly at her. Sam nodded her head. It was times such at this that made her extremely thankful to have such good friends. It seemed that no matter what he mood was, Jin was always able to make her feel better. And Liam…though he was a little creepy, he was still a great guy at heart.

It is going to be hard to leave these two once I have to go back home, Sam thought ruefully, looking up at the two of them.

"Go back to your room and rest for a little before Artemis comes back," Jin said, "you'll need to have a clear mind to argue with him"

"Yeah, you're right" Sam said, walking back towards her room, "thank you both"

"No problem" Jin said, "and remember. Don't let Artemis get to you. He isn't really great at dealing with other people"

"Oh, I know," Sam said, going back inside her room, "see you both later".

She entered her room and closed the door behind her. Jin's girlfriend problems had been a good distraction, but now that was over for now, her problem started creeping back on her.

_"We will talk about this later"_

Those words kept playing through her mind, over and over. At least he had said that he was willing to talk about it. But what did that mean? Was he considering taking her with him? Was he off trying to request a room change? Sam was so confused that her head started to spin.

She clutched her head and sat down on Artemis's bed, afraid that she would fall over. _I'm thinking too much_, she thought, _I shouldn't wear myself out like this._

But she couldn't help it; she continued to think of various possibilities until she became drowsy with mental exertion. She closed her heavy eyes and drifted off into a very troubled sleep.

"Hey, who gave you permission to sleep on my bed?"

Sam's eyes shot open and she immediately sat up, bumping her head on the top of the bed.

"Ow" she cried, nestling her head. She peeked out from between her arms and saw a very annoyed and slightly amused looking Artemis staring down at her.

"Oh, sorry" Sam cried, getting up out of the bed, "I was tired and I just sat down. I hadn't realized I had fallen asleep!" She looked out the window, it was already dark. _Damn, how long have I been sleeping for_, she thought to herself.

"Next time you feel like passing out, do it on your own bed," Artemis answered, looking at his sheets distastefully, "I am going to have to get these fumigated now"

"I don't have any sort of disease!" Sam cried, scowling, "fumigated! Don't you think that is going a little overboard?"

Artemis just looked at the little girl in front of him. He had been thinking about her all day, wondering what there was in her that made him want to trust her. It was her grandmother, he decided. After finally getting his father back, Artemis understood a thing or two about familial bonds.

"Your grandmother…did you care for her deeply?" Artemis asked. Sam looked at him suddenly.

"She raised me," she answered, "ever since I was little I saw her as more of a mother than a grandma."

"You need to learn how to answer questions" Artemis said, impatiently, "did you care for her deeply?"

"Yes," Sam answered, "I did. I still do"

Artemis sighed and leaned back against the bed. He could barely believe what he was about to do. He had been making excuses for his actions the whole day—that Sam already knew about faeries, that she had noble intentions, that she had the drive and courage necessary. But when it truly came down to it, none of those things even mattered. For the first time in Artemis's highly scientific and logical life, something just felt right. He couldn't explain it, but looking at Sam he knew what the right thing was.

"Sam," he said slowly, "I want to take you to meet the faeries"

* * *

**A/N: Alright, there it is!! Hope that it was enjoyable! Please comment and tell me what you think about it!! Or if you have plot ideas or shipping requests-- those are always welcome as well! Just let me know how I am doing! Gracias y besos!!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, I finally finished the chapter. Sorry if this update took a little longer than usual-- but exams have been ruling my life lately. I hope this chapter is worth the slight wait, though. I think it is a rather cute one =) Enjoy!**

* * *

** Why Why Love**

**Chapter 7**

Sam stared up at Artemis, a huge smile spreading across her face.

"Really?" she asked, eyes wide. Artemis sighed and turned away from her.

"I don't exactly know why I am doing this," he said, "but recently I received a message from one of my counterparts that requested a meeting between me and an old friend who happens to be a fairy. The message stated that…"

"…that you had to bring another person with you that was your age that you could trust," Sam finished, excitedly, "I heard you and Butler talking about it".

"You eavesdrop on my private conversations?" Artemis asked harshly, turning back towards the girl.

"I came back to get my track shoes, I didn't mean to overhear," Sam explained. Artemis just pinned her with one of his common glares.

"Another rule for you" he hissed, "don't listen in on my conversations with others. I enjoy my privacy"

"It was a mistake!" Sam cried, "haven't you ever accidentally heard someone's conversations?"

Artemis was about to deny that he ever had when he remembered the conversation he had overheard between Sam and Dr. Murray. He just puffed and turned away from the girl once more.

"When are we going to go? Where are we going to meet the faeries? What are they like?" Sam asked, changing the subject back to the main topic, "do I need to learn some special language? Will they take us underground? They do live underground, right?"

"You talk entirely too much," Artemis said pointedly, walking towards his desk and sitting down.

"I am just curious," Sam answered, sitting back down on the boy's bed, "Even though I spent the last two years researching nonstop I am still new to this"

"Right now I am as in the dark as you are concerning details about this meeting we are supposed to have," Artemis said, taking a notebook out from his schoolbag, "so it will do you no good to ask me anything"

"Well what am I supposed to do, then?" Sam asked, lying down.

"Nothing," Artemis answered, "for the next month nothing will be different between us. You will stay out of my business, I will not teach you anything, and most importantly, you will stop using my bed at your own discretion!"

"Fine," Sam muttered, feeling a bit disappointed. I_ assumed that having this sort of faerie bond with Artemis would make the relationship between us better_, Sam thought ruefully, _but he is still as grumpy and unapproachable as before_.

Artemis sat at his desk, looking at the notebook in front of him. He still couldn't believe that he had asked Sam to go with him. He was the type of boy who liked to have an explanation for everything, but there was none to be found in this situation. Sam hadn't proven to be the most trustworthy of people, she was naïve, she was brash, and she was impulsive—all three things that would be major problems.

Artemis heard Sam shuffle behind him, climbing up into her bed.

"Goodnight Artemis" she said loudly. The boy just continued to look at his notebook, not saying a word, his mind in a completely different world. Sam was a girl, Artemis knew that she was a girl, but why hadn't he confronted her about this?

_I can't_, Artemis thought sullenly, _I can't confront her. If word gets out that she is a girl then she will be kicked out of the school, and if that happens who would I take with me?_

Artemis nodded resolutely and looked behind him at the lump beneath the bright yellow covers of the top bunk. _Your secret is safe with me_, he thought, _at least for now._

_

* * *

_

"Sam! Sam, wake up! Come on, let's go!"

"Huh?", Sam groggily opened her eyes. Someone had pulled open the curtains and the sun was shining brightly through the window. Sam shielded her eyes from the sun as she sat up.

"Come on, we better go now or else we are going to be late!"

Sam looked down and saw Jin standing at the bottom of the bunk.

"Jin?" she cried, "how did you get into our room?"

"Artemis let me in" Jin answered, pointing at the boy, who was already showered and dressed as was gathering books from the bookshelf near the beds.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We are going to SC today, remember?" Jin asked, "the girls are having their Sunday morning activities, so if we leave right now we can catch them as they finish up"

"That's a little creepy" Sam muttered.

"What are you two going to do at SC?" Artemis asked. Jin looked at him, slightly shocked. Artemis had never taken an interest to anything that anybody had done in the past.

"We are going to find me a girlfriend!" Jin answered, smiling broadly. Artemis looked up at Sam, a single eyebrow raised, and an amused smirk on his face.

"You are going to help Jin find a girlfriend?" he asked. Sam scowled at him.

"What is with that tone of voice?" she huffed, "do you think I have bad taste in women?" It took all of Artemis's self control to not laugh at the ridiculous statement.

"You are so much like a woman yourself" he scoffed, "how could you possibly like them?"

"I am not like a woman!!" Sam cried, throwing off her blanket. She was about to bound out of bed before she remembered that she hadn't had a chance to put her chest protector on. She stole a quick glance at her chest before grabbing the blanket and wrapping it around her once more. _Oh gods_, she thought, _did Artemis see me? What about Jin?_

Nervously, Sam looked down. Jin was looking in the mirror over her desk, fixing his hair. _Thank god_, Sam thought, _he didn't see anything_. Artemis however was staring straight at her, one eyebrow raised.

"Is it that cold in the room?" he asked, "is wrapping yourself in a blanket necessary?"

"Um yes, I am freezing, that's it!" Sam cried, "brrr"

Artemis walked over to the coat stand and took his sweater off of it. He went back towards the beds and tossed the sweater up to Sam.

"Put this on and come down, then," he said, looking up at her. _Daft girl, if she keeps this up then everybody will know she is a girl by the end of the week. Why can't she be more careful?_

"Oh, thank you," Sam said, slightly taken aback at Artemis's niceness. _I didn't think he cared about me at all_, she thought, happily. _Plus he didn't find out I am a girl!_

Sam's mood darkened a little when that thought popped into her head. _He didn't notice that I am a girl_, she thought, _is my chest really that small?_

She lifted the covers from her slightly and peeked underneath them, scowling. _I'm not that small! I don't have a man's body shape!_, she thought ruefully.

Artemis stood near the bookshelf, looking up at her, trying his hardest not to burst out laughing. _What…me… laughing?_ he thought suddenly, _why in the world do I always feel like laughing whenever Sam is around? Probably her insanity rubbing off on me._

"What are you still doing up there?" he cried, glaring, "don't you and Jin have plans? The sooner the two of you get out of the room, the better it will be for me. How am I supposed to concentrate with the two of you making so much noise?"

"Yeah, we better get going if we want to catch the girls before they head off to the dorms" Jin said, moving away from the mirror, "this is my big day after all!"

"True" Sam said, pulling on Artemis's sweater. The sweater was much too long for her—her hands didn't even come out of the armholes. But despite being long, it was also quite tight.

"Why is this sweater so tight?" she asked, climbing down the ladder rungs, "how thin are you? I bet you don't have an ounce of muscle on your body!"

Artemis just glared at her. He had tried being decent towards her and this is what he got in return?

"Hurry up and get out of here" he said sullenly. Sam just nodded. _Did I offend him right now? How sensitive!_ She grabbed her clothes, hiding her chest protector in her shirt, and rushed into the bathroom.

Jin watched Sam rush into the bathroom and smiled. He really was a cute boy. He turned towards Artemis, who was once again looking through the bookshelf. Jin noticed that the other boy, however, seemed a bit distracted.

"You don't hate him, do you?" Jon asked. Artemis didn't even bother turning around.

"I think Sam might be the first classmate that you don't hate," Jin continued, "I have never seen you care at all about another person besides Butler. Plus, you always act differently around Sam. Usually you just ignore everybody around you, or act aloof, but it seems like you are not afraid to be angry or show emotions around Sam"

"What are you, some kind of relationship mistress now?" Artemis asked, turning around, enraged. He stood there for a few seconds, composing himself. _Where is all this anger coming from? I shouldn't care enough to actually get angry._

"You are thinking too much" Artemis continued, once again cool and levelheaded, just as he should be, "my feelings for Sam are the same as my feelings for every other person here at SB. I couldn't care less about him"

"So hateful" Jin whispered, shaking his head. Sam came out of the bathroom, completely changed and smiling widely. She looked over at the two boys. Artemis was leaning against the bookshelf, furiously glaring at the books and Jin was leaning against her desk, furiously glaring at Artemis.

"Did I miss something?" she asked.

"Not at all," Jin answered, grabbing Sam's shoulder. He immediately stiffened and quickly moved his hand away, "uh…uh, let's just go, shall we?"

"What? Oh, okay," Sam said. She walked up to Artemis and held his sweater out to him. "Thank you for letting me use this. I'll be going out now."

Artemis just grabbed he sweater from her and tossed it on the bed.

"Hurry up and get out of here. I can't stand to hear your droning" he said curtly.

Sam nodded and slowly walked out of the room. _How could someone who was so nice to me before be so mean to me now_, she wondered.

"Aw, Sam buck up," Jin said, walking next to her, "you know what I always say"

"Yeah, yeah" Sam muttered. Jin looked at the dejected boy next to him and felt his heart break a little. He wanted to help him.

"Come on, say it with me, it will make you feel better," Jin said. Sam looked up at him.

"I don't know" she said. Jin shook his head and ran out of the dorm into the quad. He threw his head back and yelled as loud as he could.

**"ARTEMIS FOWL IS A USELESS GIT!!!!"**

Sam just stood in her spot, laughter bubbling up inside of her. Once again Jin's crazy ways were working their cheering magic.

"Come on!" Jin said, motioning for Sam to join him. She stood there for a few seconds before shrugging her shoulders and joining him. Why not? She stood next to Jin and threw her head back as well.

**"ARTEMIS FOWL IS A USELESS GIT!!"** she screamed. Jin gave her a thumbs up and she couldn't help but laugh. Together they both yelled it once more, erupting into laughter afterwards.

"Jin," Sam said, smiling up at the boy, "how come you always know how to put me in a good mood?"

Jin looked down at the boy and was startled at the brightness of his smile. He really does look like a girl when he smiles like this, he thought, how cute!...Wait!

"Girlfriend" Jin suddenly said, "come on, we can't forget out main goal".

"Oh, yes," Sam said, "we better hurry then"

* * *

The walk to SC was not a long or hard one at all, and Sam was surprised when they reached the gates of the school.

"It really is close to our school" she whispered as they walked through them. SC was remarkably similar to SB in the sense that it was a beautiful place. But while SB had the look of majesty and strength with it's stone castle buildings and crawling ivy; SC had a very delicate look about it. The buildings were in a Spanish Hacienda style, all painted in warm golden shades with red tile roofs. There were gardens everywhere, filled with so many different types of flowers—in fact, the whole air at SC had a flowery smell to it.

"Wow, this really is a girl's school" Sam said, taking everything in. Such a cute school!

"Oh look, we are right in time—they are getting out now!" Jin said, pointing to a group of girls walking from one of the buildings. Sam looked over and sighed a little. Even their uniforms were adorable. Like SB, they too had to wear a white shirt, maroon sweater vests and a maroon and gold tie—but instead of slacks they had checkered skirts. Sam fingered her gray pants enviously. But then again, that is what she got for going to a boys' school.

The girls looked over at Jin and Sam and immediately started to mutter amongst themselves, giggling.

"Ugh, I hate it when girls giggle like that" Jin whispered, I never know what it means.

"It means that they are embarrassed because they didn't expect to see boys here, but they are also excited because…well, they didn't expect to see boys here," Sam said lazily.

"How would you know that?" Jin asked. Sam immediately stiffened. How would a boy know that?

"Uh… my old best friend back home is a girl," Sam said quickly, "so I have a bit more insight into these things". Jin nodded his head and looked back to the group of girls.

"Oh hey, look—they're coming here," he said, nervously. Sam looked up at him with raised eyebrows.

"Jin, have you ever had a girlfriend before?" she asked. The boy shook his head.

"Always thought about getting one, but never made the effort," he whispered back.

The group of girls came up to Jin and Sam and smiled cutely at the both of them. Sam smiled back, trying to look as manly as possible. A girl separated herself from among the group. She was an extremely pretty girl, a few inches shorter than Sam with curly caramel colored hair and large, sparkling blue eyes.

"Hello," she said, her clear, strong voice spiked with a very formal British accent, "Welcome to Saint Catherine's School for Young Ladies. My name is Melinda Walker—third year student and representative of the Junior class of SC"

"Hello" both Sam and Jin muttered. Sam couldn't help but feel intimidated standing next to the girl. _I am sure she could never get mistaken for a guy_, she thought ruefully. Melinda turned to Jin.

"Hello," she said, "you are Jin, right? The captain of the soccer team and the star of the track team? There are quite a few girls here at SC who are quite fond of you."

"What? Really?" he asked. Melinda nodded, "of course—I am saving myself for Artemis, but there are many members of my class that would be delighted to meet you." She snapped her fingers and three girls rushed out to the front.

"Jin—meet Charlotte, Mary, and Elise," Melinda said, smiling, "girls, why don't you give Jin a tour of the campus?"

The three girls nodded eagerly and led a smiling Jin away.

"Hey!" Sam cried out after them, "how could you leave me like this, Jin? You're the one who dragged me here in the first place!"

"Oh don't worry about him," Melinda said, turning towards Sam, "those three girls have been dying to meet him for years."

"Oh…" Sam mumbled, looking at the group of girls that were still there, all staring at her.

"So, you are the infamous new boy, yes?" Melinda said, smiling.

"Infamous?" Sam asked, confused. Melinda nodded her head.

"You are the number one source of gossip here at SC. We were told that you beat Jin's record at the 100 meters and became Artemis's roommate," Melinda said, "we also heard that you were a wholly beautiful boy"

"beautiful" Sam groaned. What would it take for her to drop the 'beautiful' image? Did she need to work out more and build up some muscles? Sam looked at her arm. Yeah, maybe that's what she needed to do.

"and they didn't lie," Melinda said, nodding her head at Sam, "you are a very delicate looking boy"

"Okay, enough about that," Sam said, "you are making me sound like a woman"

"Very sorry," Melinda said quickly, "but you must know—the main purpose of a SC girl is to bring beauty into the lives of SB boys"

"What?" Sam asked, gaping, "is that seriously all you care about?"

"Why, of course," Melinda answered, "we are here to make the lives of the SB boys more pleasurable"

"What about getting an education?" Sam asked, "what about working towards your future goals? A girl's main purpose should be to fulfill her own dreams, not the dream of some boy!"

"You are funny!" Melinda said, smiling, "you must be the first boy who has ever gotten angry at us for trying to bring beauty into your lives"

"What about women's empowerment? I don't want to see you all wasting your lives for some guys!" Sam scoffed. The girls in the crowd started to mutter amongst themselves.

"So brash!"

"How American!"

"He is so sweet, yes?"

"How cute! Look he's standing up for us!"

"I seems as though your popularity with the ladies grew even more," Melinda said, smiling sweetly, "at this rate you might give your roommate some stiff competition"

"Who, me?" Sam asked, feeling slightly sick. Girls were fighting over her?

"That equal rights speech that you just gave really seemed to make you more attractive," Melinda said, "why I am sure that you wanted"

"No, I didn't say those things just to make myself look better. I certainly don't want to do that," Sam said quickly. _Oh gods, I can't handle being chased after by other girls. How odd!_

"Well, if you must know. SC is more of a technical school. None of us girls here have high enough test scores to go to a high school as rigorous as SB. So instead, we learn how to become the perfect companions for SB boys. Don't think of it as us selling ourselves short, it is what we want to do. This is our dream," Melinda said, smiling.

"Still think you could be doing something better," Sam muttered before shaking her head and looking up at the girls, "Well then, as long as you are happy, I have no other worries. Now if you would excuse me, I have to go find Jin…"

"No wait!" the group of girls called out. Sam looked at them, trying not to let the horror she felt show on her face.

"Wow, you really have become popular," Melinda said, batting her eyes at Sam, "if I wasn't saving myself for your roommate, I might just have to chase after you myself"

"Oh, how nice. Thank you," Sam said, dry heaving in her mouth a little bit. The way that Melinda was looking at her was sickening. _Even if I was a boy, I would be frightened by her_, she thought, _Jin where are you?_

"You wouldn't leave all these poor girls alone, now would you?" Melinda asked. The group of girls started to advance on her. Sam backed away, looking for a way to escape. She smiled nervously at them. _What can I do?_ she thought, _somebody help me please!_

"Oh my god—look! It's Artemis Fowl!" a girl screamed. Everybody turned immediately and looked towards the school gate, which Artemis was leaning against. Sam stared at him in amazement.

"Artemis?" she whispered. The boy just looked at her and shook his head. _Daft girl._

Artemis slowly started walking towards the group, completely impervious to the looks of admiration that were being shot at him. At least ten girls rushed up to him, prewritten love letters in hand. Artemis just took them and tossed them in his bag without a second glance. He made his way over to Melinda and Sam.

"Oh, hi Artemis!" Melinda cooed, batting her long eyelashes furiously. "Did you come here to visit us too?"

Artemis just ignored Melinda completely and looked at Sam.

"Come on," he said, "we have work to do"

"Oh…okay" Sam said, just standing there, not quite knowing what to do. Sighing, Artemis grabbed her by the wrist and started to drag her out of the courtyard. Sam, caught of guard for a few seconds, stumbled behind him. She then realized what was going on and broke out into a huge smile. She turned back around and faced the SC girls.

"Goodbye!" she cried as Artemis drug her out of the gates, "I really wish I could have spent more time with you! So sad that I have to be leaving! Goodbye! Goodbye!"

"You don't have to act that much" Artemis mumbled as the two of them left the school. They were a good 20 feet away from the school gates before Artemis realized that he was still clutching on to Sam's wrist. He immediately let go and continued walking. Sam ran to catch up with him, smiling brightly.

"Thank you for coming to save me" she said, gleefully. Artemis didn't even bother looking down at her.

"Who could come to save you?" he asked, "Butler wanted to have a meeting with you, so I came to get you for that. Don't think too deeply into things"

"Oh," Sam said, feeling a little disappointed, though, still happy over the fact that she got to escape from those SC girls. Plus…Artemis had grabbed her wrist. She looked down at it, smiling, remembering how handsome he looked walking down the courtyard._ Wait_, she thought suddenly, _remember your rules. You can't fall in love with Artemis!_ She nodded resolutely and kept on walking.

Artemis sneaked a glance at the small girl beside him. She seemed to be lost in her own world. _Insane girl_, he thought, _she would have certainly given away her identity if I hadn't come. I can't let her do anything by herself. If she relieves that she is a girl, what am I supposed to do then?_

"Let me call Butler and make sure he is waiting for us," Artemis said, whipping out his phone. Sam just nodded. Butler picked up on the first ring.

"Hello Artemis" the familiar voice said.

"Butler, are you already waiting for us?" Artemis asked.

"I'm in your room right now" Butler answered, "but I still don't understand. Why did you call me and ask me to arrange a meeting so suddenly?"

"Good, we'll see you in a little while then" Artemis said, completely ignoring Butler's question. He hung up the phone and stuffed it back in his bag. He turned and looked down at Sam. Why did he call the meeting so suddenly? Why did he feel the need to protect the little girl next to him?

_It's because she is the only one I can take with me to meet Holly_, he thought resolutely, _and that is the one and only reason why I care about her_.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, there is was! Ahhh, don't you just love relationship drama? haha, hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! As always, I would love to hear any thoughts you had on the chapter or on the story as a whole. Your reviews are what motivate me to keep on writing! Gracias y besos!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Alright everybody-- I finally got the next chapter out. Sorry this took me longer than usual!! And just a head's up, I won't be updating again until New Years. I am very sorry for the long wait, but I go to school in a different country than where I live-- and I am going back home for winter holiday! International travel is never much fun and I don't think I will be able to update during that time. So hopefully this chapter will be enough to tide you over through the holidays!**

**

* * *

**

**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 8 **

Sam followed Artemis back to the dorm in silence. The boy seemed to be brooding and Sam knew better then to bother him when he was like this. She had only been Artemis's roommate for a week, yet she already felt as though she was in sync with his frequent moods._ I__t must be living with him_, Sam thought lightly; _I'm more receptive to his moods because I have to live with him._

The two finally returned to their room, where Butler was sitting at Sam's desk, flipping through her notebooks.

"Hey", Sam cried, walking over to him, "don't you know something called privacy?" Butler looked up at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

"They're just school notes" he said, "I don't think you would hide many secrets in maths equations"

"Still" Sam said, grabbing her notebook from the man. Butler stood up, towering over the girl. She quickly pushed the notebook back into is hands, "…or you can keep reading it. It's totally all right with me. Go ahead!"

"I am not going to hurt you," Butler said, amused by Sam's actions, "so you don't have to act like a nervous puppy"

"Who are you calling a puppy?" Sam muttered. Artemis just looked on the scene and sighed.

"Butler, how about you get on to the reason that you called for this meeting," he said. Butler just looked up at the boy. The only reason why he had even come here is because Artemis had called and asked him to hold a meeting with Sam.

"Why don't you start first, Artemis?" Butler said, looking at the boy, raising his eyebrows a fraction. The movement wouldn't have been noticeable to most people, but Artemis was more perceptive that the usual teenager. Plus, he had been with Butler long enough to know what an eyebrow raise meant. The man was curious as to Artemis's actions. And this time, unlike all the rest, Artemis had no good reason for his actions.

"Well," Artemis started, mind reeling. He was a genius. He should be able to come up with some type of excuse, "Butler informed me the other day that he would like to start giving you lessons"

"Lessons?" Sam asked, looking at Artemis, excited, "what type of lessons?"

"Fairy lessons" Artemis answered, "to teach you all you need to know about faeries before we go to meet Holly."

"Really?" Sam asked, rushing over to Artemis, "am I really going to learn about faeries? Like if they really love underground and if they really have an extensive police system and if…"

"It is not going to be a barrel of fun," Artemis said, cutting the girl off. "Dealing with the fairies extremely serious. You must treat it that way"

"Of course," Sam said, standing straight and putting on her best resolute expression, "I will take these lessons with the utmost seriousness"

"Good" the boy answered. Sam looked over at Butler and then leaned closer to Artemis.

"Are you going to be here for these lessons too?" she whispered, "I know he's not going to hurt me…but he's like a human mountain"

The corners of Artemis's mouth rose fractionally at Sam's comment. It was a slight, probably even subconscious movement, but it didn't escape the radar of Butler's hawk-like eyes. The man looked on the scene with an air of amusement and surprise.

"Don't worry about all the details," Artemis said, "just be content with the fact that Butler is willing to teach you".

"Oh! Of course," Sam said quickly, turning towards Butler, "thank you for thinking about me!" she said to him, "I was worried that I was going to go meet the faeries without knowing anything, but I am glad that you decided to teach me"

"My pleasure," Butler answered, casting a side-glance at Artemis, who shrugged slightly at the man. It seemed as though Butler duties had now expanded from being Artemis's bodyguard to being Sam's personal tutor.

"I will leave you two alone to get started," Artemis said, quickly, looking for a way to escape Butler's odd looks. _Why did the man look so amused?_

"Oh…okay," Sam said nervously, looking at Artemis with pleading eyes. He could almost hear her voice in his head. _Please stay with me, Butler is way too scary_. He just shook his head and walked out of the room. Why was it that he could now hear her voice even when she wasn't talking to him?

"This is getting to be really quite annoying," he mumbled, walking towards the stairs, "it is definitely for the best that I get far away from the room".

But back in the room, Sam was having problems of her own. She stood by the entrance of the room, trying not to make eye contact with the man sitting three feet away from her. She shot him a nervous smile and just stood there, fingers drumming against her thighs.

"Sam, there really is no reason for you to be afraid of me," Butler said finally, after about five minutes of tense silence.

"I know," Sam answered, "but you are just too intimidating." Butler chuckled a little bit and Sam loosened up slightly at the sound of it.

"Well it is going to be hard for me to teach you if you won't even look at me," Butler continued. His voice was very comforting, Sam decided. Maybe he wasn't so scary. She looked up at him slowly. _Come on; buck up_, she thought to herself, _what kind of self respecting guy would let himself be intimidated by his roommates bodyguard?_

"Ah, glad we are making progress," Butler said, the amused expression still on his face.

"Um…what are you going to teach me?" Sam asked, quickly. She scooted over to Artemis's bed and sat down on it. This way she was still a safe distance away from Butler, so she felt more comfortable looking up at him.

"Well I guess I can begin by telling you about Holly," Butler said, carefully looking at Sam's reactions.

Sam suddenly perked up, looking very interested, "I was meaning to ask about her. Is she another human that knows about faeries? Is she the one that is going to take us to them?"

"Holly is a faerie," Butler answered, "and one that Artemis just might fancy"

"**FANCY?**" Sam cried, surprised, "as in…like?"

"Yes, I do suppose that is what fancy means" Butler answered, growing steadily more amused.

"But…I thought Artemis hated girls," Sam said quickly, "how could he fancy Holly?"

"One wouldn't exactly classify Holly as a normal girl," Butler said, eyebrow slightly raised at the small figure in front of him.

"Just because she's a faerie?" Sam asked. Butler shook his head.

"Holly is more than a faerie. She is the strongest woman that Artemis has ever been around, I am sure. Wise, witty, and attractive. Plus she has courage, and a lot of it," he said. Sam gasped, could there even be a person with all those qualities? This girl sounded too good to be true, plus she was a faerie on top of that. No wonder Artemis liked her.

Sam sat on the bed, frowning slightly to herself. Why should she care if Artemis liked some faerie lady? It wasn't as though she personally liked him. She had made it a rule not to like him. But if that was the case, why did she suddenly have a very strong dislike for this Holly character?

"Sam, you seem to be troubled," Butler said lightly. Sam looked up and vehemently shook her head.

"No, not at all" she said forcefully, "who Artemis liked is his own prerogative"

"Then why do you have such a worried expression on your face?" Butler asked. Normally he was one to pry, but in this case he found it to be good fun.

"I'm his roommate," Sam said quickly, "of course I am going to be worried about him. A relationship between a human and a faerie seems a little…hard to maintain"

"Is that your only cause for concern?" Butler asked,, eyes boring holes into Sam. Once again, the girl felt extremely uncomfortable.

"Of course," she said chuckling nervously, "why else would I be concerned?"

Suddenly Jin burst into the room, a wide grin spread across his face. Sam almost fainted in relief.

"Jin!" she cried out happily. Jin, slightly taken aback by the thankfulness and joy in Sam's voice, turned towards her. He looked at her oddly for a few seconds before shaking his head and grinning once more.

"My mission has become a success!" he said happily.

"Do you mean that you've found a girlfriend?" Sam asked. Jin nodded his head triumphantly.

"SC's own beautiful, American flower. Charlotte from 3rd year. She is very cute, plus her American accent reminds me of…"

Jin suddenly trailed off, blushing deeply, "um…let's go celebrate!!" he said quickly.

Sam raised her eyebrows at Jin's odd behavior. But she caught a glance at Butler and decided that getting out the room for any reason would be the best thing for her at that moment.

"Yes" she said, getting up quickly and rushing over to Jin, "it is not everyday that you get a girlfriend. Let's go celebrate!"

"Really, you are willing to go now?" Jin asked, "aren't you having a meeting with Butler?"

"Oh, we were just finishing, right Butler?" Sam said, grabbing Jin by his sleeve and dragging him out of the room.

"You two have fun," Butler said, smiling slightly at the teens in front of him. Jin nodded dumbly, staring at Sam's hand where she was clutching his sleeve.

As soon as Sam managed to drag Jin away, Butler took out his phone and called a very familiar number.

"Artemis, Sam and I finished our lesson for today. But I would like to speak with you before I leave.

* * *

Artemis sat on his bed, looking up at Butler. Never before had the atmosphere between the two been tense or awkward, but Artemis could not think of any others words to describe their current situation, and he knew quite a number of words.

"Butler, what did you want to speak to me about?" Artemis asked. The large man just leaned back in his chair and looked at the boy.

"You know, don't you?" Butler asked. Artemis just looked up at him.

"I know a great number of things, Butler. What are you referring to in this situation?"

"You know Sam is a girl" Butler said flatly. Artemis cursed under his breath.

"Is she really that obvious?" he asked.

"I am just more observant than most," Butler said, "it is my job.

"Okay, well if that is all you were going to tell me, I think I am going to go out on a walk" Artemis said, getting up.

"Wait," Butler said. Artemis stopped and turned around slowly.

"Yes?"

"Do you fancy her?" Butler asked. Artemis nearly gaped at that question, not because it took him by surprise, but because it hit so close to home. Finally somebody had vocalized the dreaded question that had been floating through his mind.

"Why would you even ask such a thing?" Artemis questioned, his voice and expression as impassive as ever.

"You smiled when she whispered to you" Butler said simply, "you rarely smile around people and never smile around females that aren't Holly or Juliet. You called me to arrange a meeting with her, obviously to save her from some situation. You want me to giver her lessons, you..."

"Alright," Artemis said, cutting the man off, "you have made your point. Now give me a chance to refute it. I do not fancy Sam. She is naïve, impulsive, and overemotional—which are the exact three qualities that I hate in women. She isn't highly intelligent and her common sense is lacking. There is no way that I could fancy a girl like that"

"Then why are you so gentle with her?" Butler asked. Artemis shook his head.

"I am not gentle with her in the least. The only reason why I even care about her is because I am taking her to see Holly and I don't want her to mess up anything for me" he said, "now if you would excuse me, I am going out for a walk"

And with that, Artemis stormed out of the room. Butler just looked at the boy's receding figure and smiled. Ah, the boy had it bad…

* * *

It was late by the time that Artemis returned to the room. He had been mulling over Butler's words the whole day. Did he fancy Sam? Impossible. There was no way that could happen. If was ever to be with a women, she would have to be intelligent, brave and beautiful. Just like Holly. Not at all like his tiny, irrational roommate.

Opening the door, Artemis found himself stepping into what seemed to be an odd party. Sam, Jin, Liam, and three other classmates were all congregated on the floor near the beds. They were laughing and chatting in what seemed to be unusually loud voices. Artemis scanned the room and found an open wine bottle near the foot of his bed.

"They are drunk" he said to himself, looking at his classmates.

"Artemis!" Sam cried, waving largely, "come join us!"

"No way!" Jin interjected, "we can't let Artemis anywhere near alcohol"

"why is that?" Sam asked, eyes hooded.

"Because whenever Artemis has anything to drink he turns into a kissing monster" Jin answered, hiccupping.

"A kissing monster?" Sam cried. All the boys nodded.

"It's quite terrifying. Every one of us here has been victims to Artemis's kissing." Liam said. Once again the rest of the boys nodded.

"Stop talking so much," Artemis said shortly, walking up to the group. He held up the wine bottle.

"No, don't do that!" Jin cried, falling over Sam, "I must protect Sam's innocent kiss from being stolen by you"

"Stop speaking nonsense. I do not turn into some sort of kissing monster" Artemis said.

"You do!" all the boys yelled back.

"Scientifically impossible! Let me prove it" Artemis said, holding up the bottle and taking a swig. Everybody let out a collective groan.

Suddenly Artemis's mind went fuzzy. He plopped down to the ground.

"He only had a sip, and it has this much effect? Too weird" Jin said, shaking his head.

"Artemis! Are you okay?" Sam asked, going up to him.

"**NO!**" everyone else cried. But it was too late. Artemis's gazed eyes locked in on Sam, and as she came closer he suddenly grabbed her and drew her to him.

"Artemis!" she cried right before his lips descended on hers.

Sam sat there in shock, paralyzed. Artemis pressed against her mouth with greater force and her mind reeled. I_ am being kissed by Artemis Fowl. Oh gods! I am being kissed by Artemis Fowl!!_

_

* * *

_

_**A/N: haha, okay-- a little bit of action finally =) Next chapter Sam is actually going to meet face to face with Holly. That is sure to be exciting!! As always, please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter. You guys rock and your feedback always brightens my day and encourages me to write more!! Hope everybody has a happy and safe holiday season. I love this time of year! Gracias y besos!! **_


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Alright-- finally got a chance to update!! Happy New Years everyone! Hope that all of you had an excellent holiday season. As for me, it was great to see the family again, but after going to visit both my father and mother's families (in Spain and Taiwan/Japan respectfully) it feels great to finally be back in the states, in my dorm, with my computer. International travel is tiring!! Well, I hope that you enjoy this next chapter and that the wait wasn't too long!**

* * *

**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 9**

Sam just sat there, eyes wide, unable to move. Here she was, dressed as a boy, sitting in a dorm halfway across the world from where she grew up, being kissed by the one guy she told herself she could never fall for. And for some reason the whole situation didn't seem entirely bad.

"Get away from Sam you pervert" Jin cried, pushing Artemis away. Artemis fell back against the bed, his head making a sickening crack as it hit the hard wood of the bunk.

"Artemis!" Sam cried as the boy slumped to the floor, "Jin, what have you done to him!"

"Relax, he's just knocked out," Jin answered, gingerly looking at Artemis, "plus, I don't see why you are so upset, I just saved you from that molester"

"Oh yes," Sam said weakly, looking at Artemis lying on the floor. The scene of the boy pulling her closer to him kept playing in her head, making her cheeks flare red.

"You are probably traumatized by this," said Jin said solemnly, "we all were when it happened to us"

"He's kissed all of you?" Sam asked. All the boys nodded collectively.

"And the worst part is that he doesn't even remember it later on, which makes it impossible for you to beat him up over it" said Jonathan, one of Sam and Jin's fellow track mates.

_So that doesn't make this kiss special at all_, Sam thought, _Artemis would kiss any moving thing whenever he drinks._

"Don't be so upset, Sam" Liam said gently. Sam looked up at him quickly, wondering if he could have heard her thoughts.

"Yes, yes, no need to get upset over this," Jonathan added in, "if you don't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with him tonight, you can bunk in my room. My roommate went home for the long weekend"

"No way!" Jin cried, throwing his arm in front of Sam, "if anybody is going to be protecting Sam it's going to be me! I am his best friend after all. He is going to stay in my room tonight!"

"No need," Sam said, pushing away Jin's arm, "I'm not afraid to sleep in the same room as him. It's not like him kissing me was anything special for him. He does it to everyone. I'll just throw the wine out. Plus, he's unconscious anyways"

"Are you sure?" Jin asked quickly, "you don't know if he will wake up again, and what state he will be when he does. You might not be safe here—come stay with me tonight"

"Jin," Sam said, placing a hand on the boy's shoulders, "I will be perfectly fine here"

"Oh okay" Jin said faintly, smiling widely as Sam put his had on his shoulder. _Getting a girlfriend was supposed to help with this_, Jin thought bitterly, _but it hasn't at all. _

"I think it is time for us all to go," Liam said suddenly, casting a wry glance at his poor, confused roommate, "it is late and I am sure we all need some rest."

All the boys got up grudgingly and started to make their way out of the door. Jonathan grabbed to bottle of wine—"for safe keeping"—and Jin "accidently" kicked Artemis's unconscious body on his way out. Sam walked over to the door, biding everyone goodnight as they went back to their rooms. Liam was the last one out the door.

'Take good care of him," Liam said, nodding towards Artemis, "his head is going to be throbbing in the morning."

"Oh, okay, I will," Sam assured Liam. The boy nodded his head and made his way out the door. Now to deal with his own roommate…

Sam closed the door behind Liam and slowly walked back to the beds. She looked down at Artemis again. Why was it that she was so upset that their kiss hadn't been special. She didn't like him. She couldn't like him. _And who would like a boy like him_, she thought, _always so cold and aloof._

But she did have to admit that Artemis had his moments of tenderness, and when he did—it made him wholly attractive.

"All right, enough of this," Sam said out loud, "come on, Sam, let's just put him in bed and forget about this whole thing." She nodded resolutely and went over to Artemis trying to pick him up.

Sam wasn't a frail girl, she wasn't necessarily very thin or delicate. But still, picking up Artemis Fowl was a challenge. The boy was quite thin, so weight wasn't a problem, but he was so tall that Sam had trouble lifting him up. Finally, after a few laborious moments, Sam managed to get the boy on his bed. She wiped her forehead and pulled the covers over him. A lump had already formed on the side of his head where he had hit the bed. Sam held out her hand and gingerly touched it. Artemis cried out and Sam immediately retracted her hand.

"Sam?" Artemis whispered, opening his eyes. They were gazed over and cloudy.

"Are you okay?" Sam asked the boy, "you took a nasty fall"

"Myheadhurts" Artemis slurred. Sam looked at him in amazement.

"You only took one swig of wine and are already drunk!" she said in wonder. How was it even possible for someone to have such a low alcohol tolerance level?

"It's late, Artemis. You should get some rest" Sam said, getting up. She walked a few steps away when she felt a strong hand grab her wrist.

"Sam… I think… I think I might…"

Sam quickly turned around to face Artemis and found her head making contact with the top of the bunk instead. The girl never did have great depth perception, and this was a clear example of it. Sam's head felt as though it had been set on fire and she felt her eyes blacken.

"Oh wonderful" she mumbled before she lost consciousness and fell with a thud on Artemis's bed.

Artemis winced slightly as Sam fell right on top of him. The girl was heavier than she looked. _Perfect_, he thought, _she had to bump her head right in the middle of my_… of his what? _What was I planning to do_, he thought, _what was I about to say?_ Artemis's mind reeled. Usually he was a very methodic boy, he had a plan and a purpose behind everything he said. But just right then, he didn't even know what he was doing.

_It's probably a good thing she fainted_, Artemis thought quickly, _or else who knew what I would have said. I must be really very drunk._ He looked down at the small girl on his chest. Her short, choppy hair fell on her face, covering the small bump that was forming on her forehead, and she was breathing deeply.

"Sam," Artemis said, shaking the girl, trying to wake her. It was fruitless, though, she was out cold. I should probably put her on her own bed then, he thought. But even sitting up shot arrows of pain through his body, and his head was pounding for some reason. _Did I fall down too? What happened to my head?_ he thought.

Sighing, he slumped back down onto his pillow. He gingerly moved Sam off his chest onto the pillow next to him.

_If I did bump my head, then the pain will reside if I rest a bit_, he thought, quickly doing calculations. I_f I sleep for roughly 5.5 hours, the pain would be at a semi-manageable level. At least enough for me to be able to put Sam back in her own bed._

He nodded and looked at the small figure next to him. _Alright, wake up in 5.5 hours and drop this girl back into her own bed_, he thought before closing his eyes and drifting off into a very fitful sleep.

* * *

"Alright, wake up everybody! Liam gave me special tea to help Artemis's head and…AHHHHHHHH"

Sam shot up, looking around her in fear and confusion. What was happening? The first thing she noticed was that her head was throbbing. The second thing she noticed is that she wasn't in her normal bed. The sheets were a stark navy instead of a bright yellow.

"What are you two doing!?!"

Sam looked up to see Jin standing next to the bunk, his mouth open wide in shock. She heard a groan next to her and looked down, only to see Artemis lying next to her. The boy rubbed his eyes and sat up. He turned and looked at Sam and his eyes grew wide.

**"What are you doing in my bed?"**

**"What am I doing in your bed?"**

They both cried at each other at the same time and quickly scooted to opposite ends of the bed.

"Did you two sleep together last night?" Jin asked, his tone harsh. He glared at Artemis. If looks could kill, Artemis was have been long gone.

"Impossible" Artemis muttered, though his mind was already reeling. What had happened last night? All he remembered was coming back into the room and seeing Sam and a few other classmates drinking. Everything that happened after that was a blur.

On the other side of the bed, Sam was deep in thought as well. She remembered putting Artemis into bed. But she had no recollection of what had happened afterwards.

Jin suddenly yanked Sam out of Artemis's bed, causing her head to spin.

"I knew I shouldn't have left you alone in here after he kissed you. Who knows what else this pervert did!" he cried. Artemis quickly looked up at him.

"I did **WHAT?**" he asked, in complete shock. He had kissed Sam? Impossible! Totally impossible!

"You drank some wine and kissed him," Jin said, "and then did god knows what to him afterwards"

"Ah, my head," Sam cried weakly. Immediately Jin knelt down and inspected Sam's head.

"Both of you have matching bumps on your heads too!" he wailed. He frowned deeply. His mother had always told him that lovers shared everything, including injuries. And though he was trying his best to get over Sam, Jin couldn't help but feel incredibly jealous of Artemis. He looked over at the boy and wanted to rip him apart limb from limb.

"I must have bumped my head on the bunk after I put Artemis in bed," Sam said quickly, "I probably lost consciousness and fell in his bed by accident"

"Yes," Artemis said quickly, thankful and a little surprised at Sam's rational statement. Usually the girl never thought very clearly, "that is most likely what occurred". Besides, what other reason would there be for Sam being in his bed?

"Really?" Jin asked, looking at Artemis with slitted eyes.

"Of course, Jin" Sam answered, pulling the boy farther away from Artemis, "that's the only reason I ended up in his bed"

"Even still, I don't like this," Jin said, turning towards Sam, "come on, let's go"

"Go?" Sam asked. Jin nodded.

"I'll ask Liam to make some tea for your head too. Plus, it would be best for you to keep away from Artemis right now" he said. Sam turned towards Artemis, who was still sitting up in bed, an aghast expression on his face.

"Go with Jin," Artemis said, "I think I am going to sleep more anyway"

"Alright then," Sam answered, taking the cup of tea that Jin had brought and putting in on the bedside table near Artemis, "be sure to drink this, though. Hopefully it will work"

Artemis just nodded and pulled the covers over his head. He couldn't take more of Sam's warmness at the moment. He had kissed her? And he thought that he couldn't have made his conundrum any more confusing. He heard Sam and Jin walk out and close the door behind them.

"I kissed Sam," he said to himself quietly, "and then ended up sleeping in the same bed as her". Groaning deeply, he turned over. He was utterly confused, not at the idea that he has kissed Sam, but by the fact that the thought of him doing that didn't totally repulse him. He tried to push all thoughts of his roommate out of head as he drifted to sleep yet his dreams were still filled with grinning emerald eyes and the familiar sound of laughter.

* * *

After the whole kissing incident, the tension between Sam and Artemis was high. It was very obvious that the two of them wanted to spend as much time apart as possible for neither one wanted to admit that they might have some sort of feelings for the other. They avoided each other and except for the occasional, "you can have the shower now" and "get your things off the floor", they really didn't talk much.

Which was exactly the reason Sam was so surprised when Artemis grabbed her on her way out of class one day. The boy draped his arm across her shoulders and led her away from the crowd of students.

"Artemis, what do you want?" she whispered, trying not to notice his arm on her shoulder.

"You need to go and pack immediately" the boy whispered to her when they were out of everyone else's earshot.

"Pack?" Sam asked, confused. But then it dawned on her. She looked up at the boy with excited eyes, "is today the day? Are we going to see the faeries?"

Artemis nodded fractionally. "Butler will pick us up in exactly half an hour"

"What should I pack? How long will we be gone?" Sam asked.

"I don't know any details of a time line, but I don't expect us to be gone for long. Just pack some essentials and a single change of clothes in case," he answered.

"Alright, got it!" Sam said, her voice shaking out of excitement. Today was the day!

"I will meet you in front of our room in 25 minutes then," Artemis said before quickly turning and walking away.

Sam hurried to the room and threw a few things in to a small duffel bag she had brought. She couldn't believe that the day had finally arrived. All the research, all the trouble she had gone through—it was all going to lead up to whatever was going to happen next. Throughout the past two years, her grandmother's wish had almost become her own. The thought of seeing a real faerie was so exciting that she couldn't contain her happiness.

After exactly 25 minutes, Artemis showed up in the room. He grabbed his own bag, which he had packed earlier, from beside the door and motioned for Sam to follow him out. Sam zipped up her bag, threw it on her shoulder, and followed him.

The two teens were nearly out of the dorm before they ran into Jin. The boy looked at Sam and Artemis, frowning when he saw their bags.

"Where are you two going?' he asked suspiciously.

"To my house," Artemis answered quickly and smoothly, "as you could probably tell Sam and I have been having some difficulties in our roommate relationship. I thought a trip to my house in the country would be exactly what we need to relax"

"You two are going on a trip together?" Jin wheezed.

"Don't worry, Jin. We'll be with Artemis's family the whole time," Sam said, playing along. Jin pulled her aside, eliciting a sigh from Artemis.

"Sam," he whispered, "why would you want to go on a trip with _him_?"

"Artemis suggested it, I thought it would be good to go along with his idea. After all we are roommates, having a good relationship is important," Sam said, feeling slightly bad that she was lying to Jin.

"But…but it's Artemis" Jin moaned. Sam looked up at him. Was Jin jealous? _Probably_, Sam decided, _after all I am his best friend. Of course he would be upset that I would want to hang out with Artemis instead._

"Don't worry Jin—when I come back you and I can take a trip as well, okay?" she said. A wide smile spread across Jin's face.

"Really?" he asked. Sam nodded.

"Of course, you're my best friend. Who else would I want to spend time with? I am just doing this because Artemis asked me to," she said quickly.

"Sam, Butler will be waiting, we better get going," Artemis said. Sam nodded to him.

"I have to go now Jin" she said.

"Oh alright then. Have fun" Jin said. He walked over to Artemis and leaned in close to him.

"You do anything to Sam and I will kill you" he whispered harshly to the boy. Artemis just shook his head and continued on his way. Sam quickly followed behind him, waving bye to Jin on her way.

"That was a good story you made up," Sam said to Artemis as a moment.

"I had already practiced it beforehand. I knew that Jin would try to stop us. He is too protective of you," Artemis said curtly.

"It's just because we're good friends. That's why he's always trying to shield me," Sam said. Artemis just kept walking. Was Sam really that slow? Could she not see what was completely obvious?

"Oh look—there's Butler!" Sam cried, pointing to the gates. Butler was waiting outside in a black car. Sam hurried over to him. Over the past month the bodyguard had been giving her weekly lessons about faeries, and during that time Sam had learned to stop fearing the man.

"Hi Butler" she said warmly.

"Hello Sam," Butler said, "you two better hurry. Our appointment is soon"

Sam nodded and went into the back seat of the car. Artemis opened her door and threw his bag in the seta next to her before going over to the front seat and sitting down.

"Alright, let's go" he said. The drive wasn't too long, but it was completely silent in the car so it felt like eternity. Sam stared out the window, taking in everything. She hadn't had much of a chance to explore anywhere since she came, so everything was brand new to her.

Butler drove the car out of the city, through rolling fields. _They really are as green and beautiful as everybody always describes them_, Sam thought, looking out at the scenery. She has always thought that the "rolling emerald hills" of Ireland was just a cheesy stereotype, but it was in fact the only way she could describe the landscape that surrounded her.

Butler drove down a small, winding dirt path until he pulled up in front of a tiny stone cottage. It was grand or elegant like the buildings of SB, but it was a quaint little thing and amongst the lush green Sam thought it look perfect.

"Where is this place?" Artemis asked, looking at the cottage in distaste.

"An old farming house," Butler said, getting out of the car, "it's been abandoned for years, by humans that is. LEP uses it to house faeries that have to come over ground for missions in the area"

"How do you know that?' Artemis asked, cranking his window down.

"Foaly briefed me a bit on the place," Butler answered, doing his customary bomb check. Once he saw everything was okay he let Artemis and Sam out of the car. The three of them made their way to the front door of the cottage.

"This place is so cute," Sam whispered.

"So dilapidated is more like it," Artemis countered ruefully, opening the door. The inside of the cottage was not much more spectacular. It was small and cramped full of furniture and little knickknacks. The walls were painted an obnoxious crimson and the wooden floors looked a bit warm.

Sam thought it looked homey, Artemis thought it looked homely.

"What a sickening place" Artemis said, gingerly poking a bright pink love seat near the door.

"Don't you know the polite thing to do before entering a home is to knock?"

Sam looked towards the source of the voice and gasped slightly. Standing in front of her was what seemed to be a very pretty lady. She was a short thing, barely over three feet and she moved very gracefully, with the stance of a skilled dancer or gymnast. She had short auburn hair that was cut in a fashion that Sam knew she could never pull off herself, and her eyes were large and a dazzling hazel color. The lady brushed a stand of hair behind a pointed ear and walked towards the group.

"Always a pleasure to see you, Holly" Butler said, nodding his head towards the lady. Sam frowned slightly. So this was Holly, was it?

"As it is seeing you, Butler. And you too, Artemis," Holly said lightly before turning to Sam.

"So this is who you brought with you," Holly said, looking Sam up and down, "interesting choice"

Sam frowned even deeper at that statement. What was that supposed to mean?

"Captain Holly Short," Holly said holding out a small hand to Sam.

"Sam Doroster," she said, quickly shaking Holly's hand.

"I look forward to working with you, Sam" Holly said brightly.

"Oh, me too" Sam said, equally as brightly, though on the inside she was already starting to form a grudge against the small fairy in front of her. Why exactly, she didn't know. All she knew for sure was that for some reason, she didn't really like Holly Short.

Butler just looked on the scene in utter amusement. Ah, this was going to be fun.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so there it is. Hope it was worth the wait! As always please review. I love hearing all your comments. Gracias y besos!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Okay, I got this chapter out a little quicker. Hope that you all enjoy!**

**

* * *

**

**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 10**

"Okay, Holly, I believe you owe us quite the explanation," Artemis said, looking warily at the fairy in front of him.

"Oh, well it's nice to see you too, Artemis. Yes, I have missed you. It seems as though you are doing well," Holly answered, smiling slightly at the boy.

"It should be an understood fact that I am glad to see you again. Such small talk niceties bore me. You and Foaly have kept me completely in the dark for the past month and I would like to know what is happening," Artemis said.

"Patience," Holly answered, leading everybody to two small couches in front of the fireplace.

"You are the one asking us for help," Artemis mumbled, "I don't really think you are in the position to issue commands"

Sam took a seat on one of the couches, and Artemis immediately sat down next to her, an almost subconsciously protective action. Holly didn't notice anything unusual, but Butler, if he was a smiling sort of man, would have grinned widely at the movement.

"Fine then, I guess we should get on with it," Holly said, "last month Foaly reported signs of a VAMP pyre"

"A vampire?" Sam asked in amazement, "as in an actual blood sucking, garlic hating vampire? Those exist too!?!"

"Don't be naïve," Artemis whispered to Sam, "there can't be such a thing."

"Let me explain a little more," Holly said, "VAMP is a special branch, an offshoot of the LEP. It stands for the Veritable Animal Management Program. They deal with species that prove to be a direct threat to fairies."

"A threat?" Sam asked. Holly nodded.

"Yes, like Trolls, hobgoblins, and most importantly, humans" Holly continued, "because of the nature of the work, VAMP is the ony fairy branch that works exclusively above ground. They have three control posts—one in Barcelona, Spain; one in Wakkani, Japan; and one in Washington D.C, in the United States. VAMP agents are known to be the most intelligent and intuitive faeries around and are recruited to be part of the program at a very young age, usually no older than eighteen years—which, in fairy age, is comparable to human 2 year olds."

"So what exactly is a Vampire, then?" Artemis asked.

"It's two words. VAMP and pyre. Traditionally when a VAMP station senses any sort of trouble, they light a special pyre. The pyre gives off a green fire that can only be seen by creatures that possess some sort of magic. Last month Faoly's radars caught sight of a lit pyre in Wakkani. Over this past month the pyres in Barcelona and D.C. have been lit as well."

"What's the reason the pyres have been lit?" Artemis asked, leaning forward in his seat. Already his mind was starting to race, collecting all the facts that Holly had given them and organizing them.

"That is the main problem," Holly said, sighing, "we don't know and there is no way of finding out."

"What? Can't you just ask the VAMP agents?" Sam asked, also leaning forward, though instead of collecting all the facts in a mental database like Artemis, she was studying Holly. The fairy seemed so confident and poised, it was almost sickening.

"Since VAMP agents are taken from Haven when they are young and live exclusively over ground they are very wary of other faeries. They are normally extremely exclusive and don't ever go underground. All other fairies have a sort of inbred fear of VAMP agents, and that makes them distrust us," Holly explained.

"A fear?" Sam asked.

"VAMP agents are a different sort of fairy. They are so elite, so intelligent, so intuitive, and so isolated that they come off as a bit frightening to everybody else," she said.

"And is that were Sam and I come in?' Artemis asked. Holly nodded.

"Besides each other, VAMP agents feel most comfortable around human—adolescent humans, specifically. We believe that it is because at that age, humans are the most open minded that they will ever be. They don't particularly like human adults, though," Holly added, looking towards Butler, who was sitting next to her, "so I might have to ask you to not follow Sam and Artemis on this one"

"Out of the question," Butler said curtly, "I do not care if these agents will try to stun me if I come near them, I am not going to let Artemis go into this alone"

"He's not going to be alone." Holly said, "Sam will be there". Butler looked at Holly with his eyebrows raised.

"Sam is a good…boy," he said slowly, "but I do not think that he has the skills to protect Artemis from harm is a compromising situation arises"

"Actually, Butler brings up a good point. Sam obviously isn't here for my protection. What is he here for?" Artemis asked.

"Hey! I'm right here!" Sam mumbled, frowning up at the boy, "no need to talk about me so harshly! And you say I have no tact"

"Sam is here because, frankly, Artemis—you cannot deal with people," Holly said simply. Artemis furrowed his brow.

"I know that I may lack some form of social skills that people believe necessary," he said, "but when it comes to professional ventures I usually find myself to be quite eloquent."

"Exactly," Holly said, "you cannot deal with VAMP agents as though they are some sort of business partner. They are a stranger breed"

"I believe I can hold my own against the 'stranger breeds' as well," Artemis said stiffly, "after all, I haven't had a complete failure of communication with fairy creatures"

"Are you calling us strange?" Holly asked. Artemis immediately bit his tongue.

"Another strike for mister _eloquent communication_," Sam whispered to him, grinning.

"You know that I didn't mean any harm in my statement, Holly," Artemis said, his voice low, "there is no race of creature I admire and respect as much as I faeries. I merely meant to say that I have experience in dealing with the unfamiliar".

"Ah," Holly said, walking up to the boy, "but you see Artemis…" she leaned in closer to him. It took all of Sam's restraint to not push the fairy away, "you have not truly dealt with unfamiliar creatures until you have dealt with a VAMP agent".

"Oh please," Sam interjected, "how bad can these people be? You're making them sound like monsters"

"Not monsters," Holly said, scooting back, "geniuses. Reclusive geniuses with an almost endless supply of money and resources at their disposal"

"That sounds familiar," Butler said, looking at Artemis.

"But unlike Artemis, they are quite emotional creatures. They have great intuition, but they are known to act on impulse, be a bit brash, and let their emotions carry them away," Holly continued.

"And that sounds familiar as well," Butler added, looking at Sam, "Holly, I think that you have chosen the best two teenagers out there for this job".

"I am glad then," Holly said, "Root assigned Trouble and I to this mission. Everything that you find, everything that you learn will be reported back to the both of us"

"Trouble?" Artemis asked quickly, looking up at Holly.

"Trouble Kelp," Holly said, "another LEP captain"

"He's a retrieval man, right?" Butler asked, "one of the ones that I took down when they entered Fowl manor a few years ago"

"An act which Trouble still hasn't totally forgiven you for," Holly said, smiling at the big man. Butler merely shrugged.

"I was just doing my job," he answered. Artemis frowned slightly. It was obvious that Holly was very close to this Trouble Kelp person. That fact should have bothered him, but for some reason it didn't.

"So what exactly do we have to do?" Sam asked. Artemis was roused back into reality.

"Yes," he added, "We will need to know the exact plan and the exact goal"

"Well," Holly said, "we don't really know what is going on with VAMP so all we can do is drop you and Sam off in Wakkani and point you in the direction of the VAMP station there. What you two need to do is find out for us is find out what is happening. Obviously something major must have occurred for them to have lit the pyre"

Artemis nodded his head, mapping out a perfect plan in his head. Sam, however leaned back in her seat, a troubled expression on her face.

"But it's odd," Sam said, "if the VAMP agents don't like other faeries then when they are in trouble why do they light a fire that only other fairies can see?"

"That is actually a good question," Artemis said in shock. Sam frowned at him.

"Don't act so surprised," she mumbled gently slapping him on the shoulder. The corners of Artemis's mouth raised fractionally, a movement that was not missed by either Butler or Holly. Holly's eyebrows shot up.

"Truthfully we don't really know," Holly said quickly, " we have never had any record of a VAMP pyre being lit before, which is what makes this a very delicate operation."

"Well then, when exactly so we leave?" Artemis asked.

"We have a plane out back for the two of you at this moment," Holly said, "so as soon as we are done here you two will be on your way to Wakkani"

"Wait, right now?" Sam asked, surprised. Everything was happening a little too quickly. In the past half our she had met a fairy, formed a grudge against her, learned about the existence of vampires (sort of), and was now supposed to get on a plane to Japan? It was slightly too much.

"We have already waited a month. Who knows what will happen if we wait any longer," Holly said. Artemis nodded. He, unlike Sam, was used to face paced schedules, especially if they had to deal with faeries. Plus, Artemis was more than a little interested in this VAMP agency. He felt the sooner he was able to check them out the better it would be for him.

"We are ready now," Artemis said, looking up at Holly. From beside him, Sam squirmed a little.

"Already?" she asked him. Artemis looked down at her.

"Didn't you say that it was your dream to meet the faeries? Well you met one and you are on your way to meet countless others and help them with their problems. Why would you want to wait?" he said. Sam nodded her head slowly.

"Well when you say it like that…" she mumbled, before looking back up at him, "but…"

"What is it?" Artemis asked. Sam looked up at him, her large emerald eyes filled with worry. Artemis was ready for her to drop some huge bomb on him. Maybe she was afraid of planes, maybe she wanted to back out of the whole thing now; the possibilities were endless.

"But you only told me to pack a single change of clothes! How long are we going to be there for? I don't want to be the gross kid that wears the same outfit three days in a row" she whispered to him so that Holly and Butler couldn't hear.

Upon hearing the girl's worry, Artemis let out a bark like laugh before he could control himself. That was what Sam was so worked out over? Clothes? _I don't think I will ever fully understand this girl_, he thought to himself, grinning, before realizing what he was doing. Grinning? Laughing? What was this?!? Artemis couldn't remember the last time he had let himself to either , especially over the remarks of one of his peers. _How come I seem to lose all self control when I am around Sam_, he wondered. What was it about the girl that made him want to laugh? Was her insanity infectious or was it some other reason all together?

From the other sofa, Holly and Butler were both gaping at Artemis. Well, Butler wasn't exactly gaping, but his eyebrows were raised. Holly turned towards Butler, an astonished expression on her face.

"Did Artemis just laugh?" she asked.

"Yes he did" Butler responded.

"Laughed at something that Sam said to him?" she continued. Butler nodded his head, studying the pair of teens in front of him. Artemis had leaned down and was whispering something in Sam's ear. The small girl nodded at his words.

"Butler…is Artemis gay?" Holly asked. Butler snapped his head back towards Holly, a bit surprised by her direct words. But then again, it was Holly, the fairy never really did hide what she was thinking.

"No he is not" Butler answered, "and that I am sure of"

"But he acts so differently around Sam," Holly said, observing the two, "much more gentle"

"I think Sam might be the first friend of his own age that Artemis has made," Butler said, "plus the two of them are roommates. It is typical for two people who live so close to each other to form some type of bond"

"I suppose," Holly said, cocking her head to the side, "I guess I am just not used to seeing Artemis actually interact with somebody his own age"

"Okay, we're ready," Sam said, looking up. Holly shook her head and smiled at the two.

"Alright then, follow me"

The group followed Holly out to the back of the cottage, where a small plane was waiting for them.

"I would have never expected a farm cottage to have a mini airstrip in the back of it" Sam said, looking at the plane.

"LEP owns this cottage now," Holly said as they neared the plane, "it is full of many such surprises"

Artemis, Sam, and Butler all climbed onto the plane, while Holly stood her place.

"Are you not going to come up?" Artemis asked the fairy. Holy shook her head.

"Root has me up to my eyeballs in other assignments," she said.

"Oh, what a shame," Sam said, trying her hardest not to break out into a wide smile, "you will be greatly missed. Oh well, maybe next time" Butler gently pushed her inside the plane, a small smile playing on his lips.

"You will find the pilot of the plane to be of much help," Holly said, "it took me a while to find him, and an even longer time to bribe him to help, but I think he has a bit of a soft spot for you, Artemis"

"Mulch" Artemis whispered, shaking his head. Though the kleptomaniac dwarf could be a bit aggravating, Artemis considered him to be somewhat of a friend.

"Take care, Artemis" Holly said. Artemis looked down at the fairy. She was still as poised, as elegant, and as beautiful as before. What ha changed this time? Why didn't his heart jump when he saw her? Why didn't he feel those slight flutters in the pit of his stomach when she looked up at him as she was doing right now? What had made him fall out of love with Holly Short?

"You too, Holly" he said, shaking his head.

"Take care of Sam too," Holly said, causing Artemis to look at her sharply, "he is new to this whole thing, so it might be dangerous for him"

"I have Butler for that," Artemis said, raising a single eyebrow.

"Well, okay then. Good luck. And thank you," Holly said, smiling, "I am surprised that you agreed to this without any talk of money or favors."

"Well, after my father returned home I am afraid that he instilled a sense of self righteousness in me that I have yet to find out how to remove," Artemis said. Holly grinned up at the boy.

"You'll have to tell your father thanks for me then. Have a safe trip," he said. Artemis nodded at her and walked into the plane. The hatch closed behind him and he turned to face the rest of the gang.

"Artemis! Long time no see!" Mulch cried from the cockpit, "and I see you have brought new blood on this one!"

"Mulch," Artemis said, nodding his head towards the dwarf Sam was looking at the small creature with a mix of amazement and amusement, "this is my roommate Sam. Sam, this is an old…friend… Mulch Diggums. He's a dwarf"

"Is that how you introduce someone?" Mulch asked, grinning, "I should start to tell people 'Oh this is Artemis Fowl. He's a human'".

"It's nice to meet you Mulch," Sam said, going up to him, "are you going to be our pilot?"

Mulch looked over Sam and nodded his head.

"Quite a cute roommate you got yourself, Artemis" he said. Sam immediately looked up at the dwarf, blushing a deep shade of crimson.

"Cut is not exactly the word I would use to describe him," Artemis said, leaning back in one of the seats, "it's an odd word to use when speaking about a boy"

"Maybe," Mulch said, "but there really isn't any better way to describe him. He has that cute, all American boy type of look, you know—sandy blonde hair, big eyes, light freckles"

"Am I invisible?" Sam asked, "how come everybody talks about me like I'm not here?"

"And that American brashness," Mulch said, smiling widely, "I think you and I can become fast friends, Mister Sam"

"Let's think less about making friends and more about flying this plane. I would like to be over with this whole mission by the end of the weekend," Artemis said.

"Right then. Have a seat gentlemen and remember to buckle up. This is going to be a bumpy ride," Mulch said.

"Bumpy? Is there a lot of turbulence on the way to Japan?" Sam asked. Mulch shook his head.

"It's not the weather conditions you should be worried about" he said.

"Then what?" Sam asked. Mulch just grinned widely.

"Dwarves are land animals. Let's just say that I am not the most experienced or _legal_ of pilots," he said as he started up the plane and started to head down the runway. The color drained from Sam, Butler, and Artemis's faces. This was going to be a long ride.

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**A/N: Alright, so there it is. Hope that it was a good one!! As always, please review and tell me what you think! Your comments keep me writing!! Gracias y Besos!!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Sorry this chapter took so long to get up. School started once more and it is already killing me, so I haven't had much time to write, which is awful. Though don't worry, I missed writing this story to ever take such a long break again!! So the next update should be quicker than this one!! Hope you enjoy the chapter, though!**

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 11**

Sam always thought herself to be a semi-practical girl. She never did have any sort of irrational phobias, and she most certainly wasn't afraid of airplanes. But after one flight with Mulch, Sam wasn't certain she ever wanted to board any sort of air transportation vehicle ever again.

"Did Holly want to kill us?" she gasped as Mulch made a bumpy landing about five kilometers away from the tarmac that they were supposed to land on.

"The mission is top secret," Mulch said, "she had to pick someone she trusted to fly the plane."

"And she picked you?" Artemis asked, "a thief with a criminal report a mile long?"

"I never said that she made the right choice," Mulch said, shrugging.

"Well at least we made it, and in one piece," Butler said, standing up, "let me pilot on the flight back"

"Be my guest," Mulch answered, "I think I enjoyed this flight less than any of you guys anyways"

"Oh, I think that is quite impossible," Artemis said, shrugging on his jacket as the group exited the plane. Sam stepped outside and was immediately taken aback by how cold it was. It was into late fall in Ireland, the wind there was picked up a mean chill at night; but it was absolutely freezing in Wakkanai.

"Why is it so cold?" Sam wailed as the stepped onto the ground, "I thought that Japan was supposed to be hotter than Ireland." Artemis just sighed and continued to walk, not bothering to turn around and face the girl.

"Don't you know anything about geography?" he asked as they made their way towards the airport.

"Not Japanese geography," Sam said, "I never thought I would need to use it"

"Wakkanai is the northernmost city in Japan. It is closer to Russia than it is to Tokyo. Of course it is going to be cold," he said.

"Oh," Sam whispered as they reached the airport. The Wakkanai airport was nothing grand or spectacular; just a small, white building with tall glass windows. Sam bet that the city didn't get many outside visitors every year.

"Alright boys, let's get going," Mulch said, leading the group around the airport, to the front of the building.

"Wait, don't we have to go inside? Go through customs? That sort of thing," Sam asked. The only time she had ever flown internationally before was when she came to Ireland, and the whole process of entering another country was a tiresome one.

"Why don't you ever think for a minute?" Artemis asked the girl, "what are we supposed to say to the customs people? That we are here to investigate vampires?"

"No need to be so harsh!" Sam said back, "I just thought that was the legal way to do things". From beside her Butler laughed.

"Sam, you are now in business with both Mulch Diggums and Artemis Fowl. Kiss all your 'legal ways' goodbye," the large man said as they reached the front of the building.

"Why is there no car waiting for us here?" Artemis asked looking around. Mulch just laughed.

"Who could come pick you up? Do you think that there are actually LEP agents in this godforsaken place?" Mulch asked, kicking the ground with a large frown, "the dirt is probably frozen solid here. What am I supposed to do?"

"How are we supposed to get to the VAMP building then?" Artemis continued.

"Um…we walk?" Mulch answered, as though it were the most obvious answer. Which, Sam thought, it sort of was.

"Walk?" Artemis gaped, as though he had just been told that he needed to swim in a sea of fire ants. The boy might be the youngest, most intelligent multi-millionaire on the planet, but the thought of doing anything physical still got to him.

"Oh buck up," Sam said, patting Artemis on the shoulder, "how bad could it be?"

It turned out to be very bad. The city of Wakkanai wasn't really large, and the scenes of snowcapped mountains and frozen lakes in the background were breathtaking—but trekking through the city was something different altogether. The streets were winding and confusing and the cold air was bitter and unforgiving.

"Maybe you had something going with that car idea," Sam whispered to Artemis, her teeth clattering so badly that it was hard to understand what she was saying. Artemis turned around and looked at her. Her small frame was shivering with every step she took.

"Who told you not to pack a jacket?" Artemis said, turning back around.

"I never thought we were going to be traveling anywhere!" Sam answered back. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, trying to think of warm thoughts; of her grandmother's large fireplace that used to be so inviting, of drinking hot chocolate with her brother on the front porch of the small house in Boston he had bought for them.

Those thoughts, however, just made her even more cold. And just as she was sure that her bones were going to snap because the cold, she felt something heavy fall on top of her. Looking up in surprise she saw that Artemis had draped his jacket around her. She pulled on the jacket, a huge smile spreading across her face. She looked at Artemis, who was still walking, as though nothing had just happened.

"Thank you," she cried, running up to him. The boy continued to look forward, not even casting a glance at her.

"I don't want you to get sick," he said simply, "what good will you be on this mission if you are around coughing and sneezing all the time"

Sam just smiled and fell back a little. Even though his words were a bit cold, she couldn't help but feel happy. Throughout the plane ride, Sam had been thinking about Artemis in order to distract herself from the great possibility of Mulch crashing the plane. She had been thinking of why she wasn't frightened by his drunken kiss, why she hated Holly so much, why she had been trying to avoid the boy for the past month. And all of her thinking led her to one conclusion. She had fallen in love with Artemis Fowl. It was the one thing that she had warned herself not to do and she had went and done it. And she didn't even know exactly why she loved him—he wasn't nice, he wasn't caring, he wasn't anything a lady would look for in a potential boyfriend. But still, he had his moments, those moments of kindness; and it was those moments that made Sam fall for him.

Not that she was expecting anything in return form the boy. Oh no, that would never happen. Artemis shouldn't, couldn't, fall in love with her in return. She was supposed to be a guy after all. His roommate. His friend. Nothing more.

And as the group walked down the street, Sam decided to herself that she wouldn't reveal the fact that she was a girl to Artemis. She had planned on doing so once she met the faeries, but she had never expected herself to fall in love with the boy. Now all she wanted to do was stay with him, to continue to see faeries with him, to just stay as they were now. But if she revealed that she was a girl, that could never happen. She couldn't still be roommates with him, she probably couldn't even be friends with him, since Jin had told her that Artemis hated girls.

_I guess you are stuck as a boy for a little longer then_, Sam thought to herself. She didn't enjoy masquerading as a boy, but she couldn't think of any other way to stay by Artemis.

A few feet in front of her, Artemis was thinking about the same thing. Sam was a girl. He knew she was a girl yet he hadn't confronted her about it so far. He had planned to do so on the plane ride over to Wakkanai; but when the time came he couldn't do it. Admitting to Sam that he knew she was a girl meant that once they got back to Ireland she would have to leave. They could never be roommates again; he could never hear her tell him lame jokes, never have her try to force feed him midnight snacks, never see her eyes light up in childlike wonder or listen to her bell-like laughter ever again.

He shook his head and continued to walk. He wanted to keep things the way they were. While he didn't quite know his exact feelings for the small girl, he knew that she was the only person his own age that he actually didn't mind being around.

So he decided, in order to keep Sam near him, he wouldn't let the fact that he knew she was a girl surface. He turned around and looked at the girl. She was walking, eyes glued to the ground, obviously deep in thought.

_As long as I can keep you by me, you secret will be safe with me_, he said, shaking his head slightly as the words popped into his brain. Since when had he been such an emotional, sentimental person?

"Hey, what's wrong with the two of you?"

Both Sam and Artemis's head's snapped up when the heard Mulch's cry.

"What is it?" Sam asked quickly.

"We're here," Mulch answered, "I was trying to get your attention for the past minute"

Artemis looked up at the building in front of them. It was nothing special, just a small little place with whitewashed walls and a stone pathway leading to a stark wooden door. Sam noticed that there were two flowerpots near the doors, each filled with beautiful, blooming flowers. It must take a lot of hard effort to keep those flowers blooming in this weather, she thought, whoever planted them must love them a lot.

"It doesn't look very impressive," Artemis said, looking at the tiny building.

"Well neither did that farm cottage," Sam reminded the boy.

"Okay well this is where I leave you," Mulch said. Both teens turned towards him.

"You're not coming with us?" Sam asked. The dwarf shook his head.

"Oh no way are you going to get me near those VAMPs. I've never met one in my life and I would like to keep it that way," he said. Sam shook her head. To her it seemed a bit silly for the faeries to be afraid of a group of people that none of them had ever met before.

"And this is where Butler will be leaving you too," Mulch said. The large man just stood his ground.

"No way am I leaving," he said. Artemis sighed.

"Butler, Holly said that the VAMP agents do not interact with adult humans very well. It would probably be more effective if you didn't come with us," he said.

"Artemis, I am not going to let you go in there by yourself," Butler said resolutely. Normally when Butler was certain about something, only one thing could change his mind. Luckily that one thing was Artemis Fowl.

"Butler, I have my communication signal," Artemis said, taking a thin metal piece out of his pocket, "if we run into any trouble I will contact you"

Butler frowned and looked down at his young master. He trusted the boy, but even sometimes the smartest human on Earth could make some mistakes.

"Only if you are sure, Artemis" Butler sighed. The boy nodded his head.

"I am always sure," he answered. _Well, most always._

"I won't be far away, then," Butler said, frowning deeply. He didn't have a good feeling about letting Artemis go into their alone—especially since Sam was there. Sam meant well, but she lacked a bit of common sense and Butler knew that Artemis would protect the girl no matter what, even if it meant harm to himself.

"Butler don't worry," Artemis said, waving him and Mulch away, "you two best get going now. The quicker we finish this mission the better."

Reluctantly, Butler followed Mulch away from the building, leaving Artemis and Sam staring up at the unimpressive walkway.

"Well then, let's do this," Sam said, breathing deeply. Artemis nodded and the two made their way down the stone walkway. They reached the door and stood there lamely for a few seconds.

"Uh…do you suppose we should knock?" Sam asked, looking up at Artemis. The boy shrugged and knocked firmly on the door twice. There was a rustle of quick footsteps coming from behind the door. Suddenly it burst open.

Standing in front of Sam and Artemis was a very frazzled lady who seemed to be in her late 30s. She was a little taller than Sam, with jet-black hair streaked with random gray hairs. Her skin was deathly pale, her eyes were brown and wild and her clothes were quite eccentric.

"Oh, are you two hear to help us?" she breathed, grabbing both Sam and Artemis's collars and pulling them inside the building. She was surprisingly stronger than she looked.

"We have been wondering when those blasted faeries would get their acts together and bring us some help," she continued as she released her vice grip on the two teens. Sam stumbled back a little.

"Who are you?" Artemis asked the lady. He was slightly frazzled by the woman's sudden actions.

"Oh no time to explain," the lady said, waving a hand through the air, "come, follow me"

She started to walk away. Sam and Artemis exchanged glances and stood their ground.

"Oh please do hurry," the lady said, turning around, "we have already wasted so much time!"

"We are not going anywhere with you until you tell us who you are and where we are going," Artemis said firmly. Sam nodded beside him.

"So rude!" the lady said, shaking her head, "somebody needs to teach you some manners, young man!"

And with that, the lady went to Artemis and grabbed him by the collar once more. She started to drag him away. Artemis tried to struggle against the woman's grip, but she seemed to possess superhuman strength.

"Hey, what do you think you are doing!?!" Sam cried, following the lady. She grabbed Artemis's arm, trying to help him pull away.

"Let go of him!" Sam said, pulling harder. The lady sighed deeply.

"So bothersome, the both of you are," she said warily. She swooped down, grabbing Sam with her other arm and dragging her along too. Sam kicked and clawed at woman, but it was as though the lady was made out of steel.

"Where are you taking us?" Sam asked. She looked around her. They were going down a very narrow hallway that seemed to slope downwards. The hallway was dark and lit by rows of small lights on the ceiling.

Ad the two teens were dragged further down the mysterious tunnel, Artemis's brain was working at full speed, trying to figure out what was going on.

_Is this lady one of the VAMP agents_, he thought,_ and if she is, why is she so tall? Holly had said that they were just regular faeries that were chosen to be agents, they should be normal height._

But as skeptical as Artemis was that this woman was a VAMP agent, he hoped dearly that she was. If she wasn't, then the situation had just gotten quite a lot more dangerous. _Is this what the VAMP pyre was about,_ he thought, _were the agents trying to find help because some random human organization was taking them over? And if so, how powerful did these humans have to be?_

The lady finally stopped and tossed the two on the ground. Quickly, Artemis got up. He turned to around and saw that they were in some type of control room. There were flashing computers on every wall, each with pictures of different locations. Shocked, Artemis saw a picture of SB on one of the computer screens.

"What is this?" Artemis asked. He quickly looked around to see if Sam was there. She was standing about two feet away from him, a look of awe on her face.

"Are these the people that LEP sent? Finally!"

Both Sam and Artemis turned to see a boy on the far end of the room. He looked maybe a year or two older than the two teens. He was a little taller than Artemis with messy dark brown hair. His eyes were a very light amber, almost a yellow color, and his bangs flopped down messily over them.

"How do you know about LEP?" Sam asked. She thought that her, Butler, and Artemis were the only humans that knew about the existence of faeries.

"Please, what fairy doesn't know about LEP?" the boy asked, walking up to a computer besides them and tapping on the keys, "I might have been living up here for a while, but I didn't forget everything about underground"

"That's not possible," Artemis said, "you can't be a fairy. You look exactly like a human"

"Growth hormones," the lady who had brought them to the room said, "Plus, both Killian and I gave up magic long ago"

"Which leads us into the introductions," the boy said before Artemis or Sam had a chance to say anything, "I am agent Killian Malley. This lovely lady here is agent Ross Taylor. We are the two VAMPs that work here in Wakkanai"

"Only two?" Sam asked. She had thought that the place would be teeming with agents.

"It doesn't take many of us to run a place," Ross said, "we are rather efficient"

"I could not fathom why either of you would willingly take growth hormones and give up your magic," Artemis said. Killian shrugged.

"We wanted to be more like the humans," he said simply, "we decided that we would have to know what it was like to be you before we could study you properly".

Artemis looked as though he was about to say something else, but Sam cut him off—eager to get to the point as well as keep Artemis from getting into an argument.

"Alright, why did you two light the pyre?" Sam asked quickly. Killian looked up at the girl and smiled. He walked over to her and bent down so that his face was scant inches from hers. Artemis stiffened slightly.

"You have very rare colored eyes," Killian said. Sam blushed a furious shade of red and backed away a little. Killian's gaze was piercing.

"They're just green," she mumbled, waving her hand a little. The boy in front of her stood up and leaned against the table next to him.

"Only around 3 percent of the world's human population has green eyes," he stated simply, "and that can be any variant of green, including hazel. Pure, dark green emerald eyes such as yours are found in less than one percent of the population. And since you don't have red hair and don't seem to be of Irish decent, I would say that you lie in the .1 percentile"

'Really?" Sam said, rather impressed by the show of knowledge, "how did you know all of that off the top of your head?"

"VAMP agents are brilliant," Killian answered, shrugging.

"Oh please, show offs more like it," Artemis said quickly.

"If one is brilliant why not show it off?" Ross asked, coming up to the group, "What an aggressive personality you have, boy! Not very easy to get along with are you?"

"Aggressive!" Artemis said, surprised. He had been called many things in the past, but aggressive had never been one of them. He was always cold, aloof, detached. Since when had be come aggressive?

"Either way, Sam and I didn't travel all the way to this barren wasteland to be treated to a demonstration of useless knowledge," Artemis said, waving away the lady's comments, "do you two have a problem or not?"

"There will be no talking to you until you learn some manners," Ross said, frowning. Sam rolled her eyes. Artemis really did need her here.

"Okay, Ross—I am sorry about Artemis. He's a little hasty sometimes," Sam said, "we really do want to help you, though. That is why we are here."

"Finally someone a little more diplomatic," Killian said going up to Sam and lazily draping an arm across her shoulder, "I think we could become fast friends".

Artemis's facial expressions didn't change one bit as Killian put his arm around Sam's shoulder, but his eyes did flicker away for a brief second; and that movement was caught by Killian. Slowly, a wide grin spread across the young VAMP agent's face. If there was one thing the VAMPs were it was intuitive. And boy did intuition go a long way…

'Well it's been a long time since we've had such a cute little human come by, so I guess we can oblige and give you some answers," Killian said. Sam frowned up at him.

"I am not cute!" she said, "I don't see why everybody thinks it is okay to call a boy cute. It's not really a compliment"

Killian and Ross looked over at Sam in surprise. A boy? They had both known at once, given their high intuition, that she was clearly a female. But if she wanted to play the part of a boy, then so be it.

"Our apologies, little sir" Ross said quickly, before Killian could shoot off his big mouth, "we set up the pyre because we fear that something terrible has happened"

"What?" Sam asked. Artemis leaned forward, eager to hear what could make the VAMP agents so worried.

"There is this man—a very powerful Taiwanese business man named Lai Huan Wei. Immensely powerful, immensely wealthy, and immensely ruthless," Killian said, sighing, "exactly the kind of humans that we hate the most".

"Humans like that are all over the place," Artemis said, joining in on the conversation, "what makes this one so special?"

Ross turned to him, deciding that it would be better if he did join in. After all, if anybody would be able to deal with powerful, wealthy, and ruthless people, it would be Artemis Fowl.

"This man," Ross said, "has found about faeries"

"How?" Artemis asked, shocked.

"In the same way that you did, I suppose," Killian said, "and much like you did when you first found faeries, Chairman Lai wants to use them to get as much gold as he possibly can"

"The only problem is that he has more resources and wealth and power than us VAMP agents can handle alone," Ross added on.

"Also, it seems impossible to track him down," Killian said, "nobody knows the exact location of his house, not any personal information about him. We cannot even find a picture of him. It is like he doesn't even exist".

"How are we supposed to fight against him then?" Sam asked.

"That is we asked for help," Ross said, "VAMP agents do not venture outside the complex. Though we have given up magic, we are still a little sensitive around human buildings. And regular fairies are even worse. That is why we need you two to find out the location of Chairman Lai."

"There are more than 6 billion people in the world. How are we supposed to find this one man?" Artemis asked, leaning against a table, his mind racing.

* * *

Back in SB, Jin was sitting in his room, contemplating his predicament. Since Sam and Artemis had left, he had been utterly confused. On one hand he had a beautiful girlfriend that truly did like him. It was what every guy wanted. He should be happy.

But on the other hand was Sam. Sam was his best friend, his classmate… a boy. And though he couldn't explain why, Jin knew that he was completely in love with him.

"This shouldn't be about what is right or wrong," Jin said to himself, clutching his head, "it should only be about love. I should be with the one I love, no matter what it means"

Jin let go of his head and looked up, a revelation creeping up on him until it stared him straight in face. Swallowing hard, he nodded his head and stood up, making his final decision.

"I shouldn't have to run from my feelings any longer," he said resolutely. "I love Sam. If that means that I am gay, so be it". He sighed deeply, feeling oddly relieved that he finally said it out loud. But before he had the chance to think further, his phone rang.

He quickly went to pick it up, hoping that it was Sam.

"Hello?" he asked, excitedly.

"I have never heard such excitement in your voice when you spoke to me in the past," a calm voice answered in quick Mandarin. Jin frowned slightly. It was only his father.

"Father. You haven't called in a while,' Jin said.

"And neither have you," his father answered, "I was just wondering how your studies were going"

"They are fine," Jin answered, sighing. What a typical conversation.

"You have winter break coming soon, do you not?" his father asked, Jin perked up a bit.

"Yes," he answered.

"You are coming back to Taiwan then, right?" his father asked. Jin said he would. He spent every winter break back home with his family. Since they lived so far away, he didn't get to see them very often.

"Are you going to bring any friends with you?" his father asked. Suddenly, Jin had a perfect idea. He could bring Sam along! That way Sam could meet his family and the two of them could have a romantic break. He could show him of his favorite places, introduce him to all of his childhood friends…

"Jin, are you there?"

"Yes, father, I think I will bring a friend along," Jin said, beaming.

"Okay well, be sure to tell your mother who he is before hand," his father answered, "I have to go now. Be safe."

"Alright, bye" Jin said quickly, hanging up the phone. He had plans to make.

* * *

Back in Taiwan, Chairman Lai put down the phone. His son was a good boy, but he worried about him from time to time. Jin was always an emotional child, very quick to show everyone what was on his mind. He had hoped that sending Jin away to study would force the boy to become more manly; but sadly it didn't seem to be working out that way.

Sighing, the man swiveled around in his seat, pushing his son out of his mind. He had bigger things to worry about at that moment. Fairy things.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, how was that? Hope that you all enjoyed it! As always please review and tell me your thoughts on the story, any ideas you have, plot details you want to see, ships you would like. I am always open to any opinion. **

**Also if my grammar is really bad or if I made a lot of mistakes, point those out as well. English is not my first language by far-- so I am always looking to improve my writing!**

**As always, Gracias y besos (which, for those who asked for a translation means "Thank you and kisses") =)**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Alright-- here is the next chapter! I finished this one a lot quicker. But as always, I had a lot of fun writing this, and I hope that all of you have a lot of fun reading it as well. **

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* * *

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**Why. Why Love**

**Chapter 12**

Artemis stewed the whole plane ride back. Not necessarily because he had just been given a mission that seemed slightly impossible to complete; but because, sitting next to Sam, dressed in a new SB uniform, was Killian. The young VAMP agent was whispering something into Sam's ear. The girl erupted in laughter and Artemis glared out the window.

"Something the matter?" Mulch asked, as he ripped through a mountain of packaged peanuts that he had placed in front of him. Artemis looked on in disgust as the dwarf swallowed five unopened packets of nuts and then spit out the soggy remains of the wrappers onto the tray table.

"Butler, remind Holly that she needs to get the plane scoured with cleaning chemicals once we get back," Artemis said.

"Oh, I don't think she will need reminding," Butler called out from the cockpit. Though he was flying the plane, the large man could only imagine the atrocities that Mulch was creating.

"So remind me again why we have a new stiff on the plane," Mulch said, picking a bit of plastic wrapper from in between his large teeth, "and why he is wearing one of your uniforms".

"What an excellent question, Mulch," Artemis answered, looking out the window, "and one that has no logical answer".

"Artemis, Killian explained this a hundred times already!" Sam cried out, "He wants to help us on our mission".

"And as I have stated a hundred times, he would be of more help if he had just stayed where he was supposed to," Artemis retorted, "I don't see why he had to tag along with us. It makes no difference"

"Ross and I have been studying Chairman Lai for around a year now," Killian said, "if anybody is going to be able to help the both of you, it is me. Plus, I always wanted to go on an undercover mission. Test out my skills at being a human."

"I think you are a very convincing human," Sam added in, giving Killian an apprising nod, "and with your looks you will fit right in at SB".

"Really?" Killian asked, grinning at the girl next to him, "I was worried I still looked too much like a faerie".

"Maybe your eyes a little bit," Sam said, leaning closer to the boy to get a good look at his almost yellow eyes. Artemis looked on the scene with an even greater feeling of disgust than he had felt when Mulch had spewed half-digested peanut wrappers all over his plane seat.

"I am going to go talk to Butler," Artemis said, getting up and walking over to the cockpit. He closed the cockpit door behind him and slid into the co-pilot seat. His face seemed as impassive as always, but his eyes told a different story. Butler just sat, continuing to pilot, waiting for Artemis to start the conversation. He had never seen the boy in such a worked up mood since the time he was six and the neighbor's son had broken the mini-power generator that he was building.

"What does that VAMP think he is doing?" Artemis asked, "he knows as well as I do that there is no real reason that he has to come on this mission"

"Maybe his expertise will help you," Butler said, smiling slightly.

"Not in the slightest bit," Artemis said, "Ross already gave me the file containing all the information they have collected on Chairman Lai. There is nothing new he can tell us"

"Well then maybe he just wanted to get out," Butler countered, "you can't blame him for wanting to leave Wakkanai."

"He knows," Artemis said simply. Butler didn't even have to ask what the boy was talking about. He knew the conversation would eventually lead to Sam.

"Holly did say that they were very intuitive," Butler answered simply.

"I don't know what game he is trying to play here; but it is just going to ruin Sam's concentration on the task at hand," Artemis said, leaning back in the chair.

"Is that all you are worried about?" Butler asked, unable to stop himself. The man had a creeping feeling that Artemis might be feeling jealousy for the first time.

"Of course," Artemis answered, "if Sam isn't able to fully deal with out mission, then I am on this alone"

"I thought that was what you wanted in the first place," Butler said, "to be in this mission alone."

Artemis just stared straight in front of him, not bothering to answer Butler's question because they both knew the answer. True, Artemis had wanted to do the mission alone at first, but along the way he had gotten used to having Sam there, and now that someone else that was in the picture, it just didn't feel right; or at least it seemed that way to Artemis.

Sam's bell like laughter filtered into the cockpit and Artemis's frown grew slightly deeper. What was it about Killian that was so hilarious anyway?

"Doesn't she know she is going to give herself away to everybody if she keeps acting like a love sick little girl," Artemis mumbled. Butler just shook his head, a whisper of a smile playing on his lips. Oh, the boy had it bad.

* * *

When the plane finally landed back in Ireland, Artemis exited without a word. He waved Mulch goodbye and walked straight to the car, which was waiting in exactly the same area that they had left it.

Sam and Killian walked up behind Artemis, chatting like two old ladies. Artemis stopped, hand on the handle of the front door, and sighed.

"You sit in the front, Killian," Artemis said without turning around, "look around as we drive, familiarize yourself with the surroundings. If you are going to be of any help to us, you should at least know the basic geography of the area".

Killian smiled widely. He had been studying up on Artemis Fowl for the past few years. The boy was quite famous in the fairy world, and all the research he had done on him portrayed him as an aloof boy who cared little about anybody else around him. The Artemis he was seeing now, however, was different. Though Artemis appeared aloof, Killian could see that his blood was boiling.

Slowly, Killian looked down at the small girl beside him, wondering what it was in her that made Artemis Fowl like her so much. She didn't fit any of the descriptions Killian would have thought Artemis would like in a member of the opposite sex. Sam wasn't some sort of child genius, she was very emotional, and her looks—while being that sort of All-American cute—were nothing spectacular, especially since she dressed like a boy everyday.

"Alright then, if you insist," Killian said, sliding into the front seat of the car, "he's a hopeless bugger isn't he?" he said to Butler. The large man just looked ahead, though the corners of his mouth raised a fraction. Hopeless bugger was quite the accurate.

The ride to SB was just as awkward and tense as the ride from Japan to Ireland had been. Killian was blabbing on in the front seat about this and that; Sam was half listening, half thinking about the mission; and Artemis was trying his hardest not to ask Butler to use his glock to shoot Killian in the head so that he wouldn't have to listen to his voice anymore.

"Alright kids, here we are," Butler said after a good thirty minutes. The three of them stepped out of the car and faced the gates of SB.

"An impressive school, no?" Killian asked, looking around.

"I was in shock when I first came here—it's so grand!" Sam answered.

"It's nothing great," Artemis mumbled, grabbing his bag from the back seat and walking through the gates. Killian and Sam followed in suit. They had made it only about three feet inside the gate when they were stopped by a loud yell.

**"Sam! Sam!"**

The three of them turned around to find Jin. He was standing on top of one of the gate pillars.

"Jin?" Sam asked, in slight shock. There was already a crowd of people starting to form around them, all glancing up in wonder at the boy. Jin's messy, golden hair blew in crazy angles all over his handsome face and his almond eyes were lit up.

"Sam, I broke up with Charlotte!" Jin cried. Sam's gaped up at him. The crowd around them had grown bigger and people were starting to whisper. _What had gotten into Jin? The infamous captain of the soccer team? SB's own golden right foot!_

"Jin, why?" Sam asked.

Jin looked down at the small boy and took a deep breath. It was now or never. When he had broken up with Charlotte, she had told him that he had to be truthful with himself about his feelings from then on; that in the future if he loved somebody that he had to tell them. And for the rest of the weekend, Jin had been in constant turmoil over the decision. He knew that loving Sam meant that he had to be gay, which would disappoint his father to no end. But on the other hand was love—and for Jin, it was love that was most important thing.

"I broke up with her because… because…" Jin started. Everybody looked up at him. It seemed as though the whole school had gathered in the courtyard.

"because?" Sam asked. Artemis looked up at the boy, his face remaining impassive, wondering what in the world Jin was doing. The boy had been known for his crazy, overemotional antics before.

"I broke up with her because… because I like you!" Jin yelled out. Sam faltered back, gaping. Jin…what?

Artemis groaned slightly, looking away; and Killian let out a loud laugh.

"Wait… Jin is gay?" Mark, the captain of the track team, asked. Jin nodded his head and jumped down from the pillar.

"Yes," he stated loudly, "I, Jin Lai, SB's own golden right foot, am gay"

"Jin…" Sam said weakly, not really knowing what to say to the boy.

"And from this moment on, I am on a quest to win Sam's heart," Jin yelled, pointing straight at Sam.

Sam just stood there in shock, not knowing what to do or say. Suddenly she felt someone grasp her hand. Looking up, she saw Artemis glancing down at her.

"Come on," he whispered, "it is probably best if we get out of here right now"

Sam nodded her head and immediately Artemis started to run, dragging Sam behind him. Killian followed the two, laughing his head off. By the time that the three of them had run far enough away, Killian was still laughing, his face turning a deep shade of red.

"You seem to be quite popular here," he said to Sam, shaking his head. Seriously, what was it with this little girl? It was probably the fact that these kids went to an all boys' school. As soon as somebody even slightly feminine walked in, they all fell for her.

"I am not really that popular," Sam said, clutching her side, trying to regain her breath.

"Sam, a boy just went gay for you," Killian said, "and a rather attractive boy at that…"

"Killian you are not helping the situation," Artemis said, scowling.

"Like you helped! Running away like a couple of cowards! And you still ask why I had to come with you! How can you stand up to Chairman Lai if you can't even stand up to one of your classmates?" Killian said, glaring at Artemis. The two boys were scant inches apart, both looking as though they despised the other.

"Hey, both of you," Sam said, walking up to them, "it isn't a big deal, really. Artemis, you know Jin is always like this. Whenever he has something to say he likes to say it as loudly and to as many people as possible."

"This will be a distraction for us," Artemis said. Killian scoffed and turned towards Artemis.

"Listen, boy, if you like someone just admit it. Making excuses never helps anybody," he said. Sam turned to Killian, scowling.

"Killian, stop talking nonsense!" she cried, "Artemis can't like me! We are both boys, both roommates"

"Well apparently you being a boy didn't stop Jin," Killian said—trying his hardest not to just blurt out the fact that is was completely obvious that she was a girl. The young VAMP agent didn't know how Sam managed to fool a whole school full of boys with her disguise. Must be a bunch of idiots…

"Jin is different," Artemis said coolly, "he doesn't have a rational thought in his head."

Sam nodded her head in agreement before she realized the meaning behind Artemis's words.

"Hey! Are you saying only irrational people could like me?" she asked the boy, slapping his shoulder.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am saying," Artemis answered, moving her hand away from him, "why are you getting so upset? I thought we were both trying to dissuade Killian from thinking nonsensical thoughts"

"Alright you two lovebirds, cut it out," Killian said loudly, "we need to get back on the topic of Jin."

"That topic is over," Artemis said quickly, "Jin can proclaim whatever he wants, but that doesn't mean that we have to sit around and have a circle discussion over it."

"Circle discussions are for American kindergarteners and egotistical Oxford professors," Killian said lightly, "I am talking about something that I believe the two of you missed in Jin's impassioned little speech."

"Missed?" Sam asked, "I wouldn't be surprised. I actually didn't hear most of what Jin said—I was too busy trying not to die out of embarrassment."

"Well, while the both of you were repressing your feeling for each other, I overheard a very important fact," Killian said cattily.

"We already realized you found out something we missed," Artemis said, eyes slitted, "why do you not just tell us what it is and stop spouting drivel"

"Well…" Killian started, before he was interrupted by Patrick, who was lazily walking up to the group.

"Hello," Patrick said, his gait as slow and seductive as always. Though he was a major playboy, Sam still couldn't help but admit that he was a very fine specimen of boy.

"Hello," Killian answered back. The dorm leader glanced over at the boy, giving him a very slow one-over. Killian, for the first time that he had entered SB, looked a bit nervous.

"Definitely Dorm 2 material," Patrick said finally. Killian looked at the group in confusion. Sam quickly started to explain.

"Dorm 1 is the sports dorm; Dorm 3 is the dorm most known for theatre and arts; and Dorm 2…"

"Dorm 2 is known for having the best looking students on campus," Patrick said, cutting in quickly, "and I am the magnanimous dorm leader, Patrick….magnanimous meaning handsome" he added in quickly, obviously not knowing who he was talking to.

"Actually, magnanimous is a synonym for the other the other meaning of handsome, meaning abundant, not attractive," Killian said smoothly, "but I guess I should be pleased that you are an abundant dorm leader"

"Great, we have another Artemis on our hands," Patrick mumbled darkly. Artemis just stood by the group, as impassive as ever.

"And speaking of Artemis, what dorm are Sam and Artemis part of?" Killian asked.

"Artemis fits the physical description of Dorm 2 perfectly," Patrick said leading the three students towards the dining hall, "so we recruited him as soon as he came. Sam, on the other hand, could fit in well with Dorm 1. After all, he is the little star of the track team. But, I thought that his unique, femininely cute looks added something to the over all dorm appearance."

Sam just sighed loudly at the comment, not even bothering to say anything back. If she got upset every time someone called her looks "feminine" or "cute" then she would probably spend a majority of her time angry. Plus, truthfully, she was a girl, so she couldn't help but feel a little happy when people called her cute.

"Ah, both are in Dorm 2, then," Killian said, smiling, "how could I say no to that?"

"Anyway, Killian—you transfer papers said you were from Japan, is that correct?" Patrick asked as they neared the dining hall.

"Yes," Killian answered, "I attended school in Japan after primary school. I was from Ireland before that. Actually, that is how I know Artemis. I was an old primary school acquaintance"

Artemis scoffed slightly. If there was one thing that Killian was good at, besides being embarrassingly brash, was making up stories.

"Ah, okay," Patrick said as they entered the hall. All the boys in Dorm 2 had congregated inside, chatting loudly with one another. Jin spotted Sam and immediately walked over to the group.

Patrick grabbed Killian and stood on top of a table. Everybody became silent as their eyes fell on the new boy.

"Everyone. This is Killian," Patrick said loudly, "he just transferred here from a high school in Tokyo. Him and Artemis were primary school friends,"

"acquaintances" Killian corrected, quickly. Patrick ignored the boy's words and continued on.

"Killian will be joining Dorm 2 in order to continue our reputation for being the best looking dorm on campus," Patrick said, "but we have a slight problem with rooming. Since all of our rooms are filled up, we will need one of you to bunk in another room."

"I will!" Jin cried suddenly, "Killian can have my room! I will stay with Artemis and Sam!"

"After your little revelation today, I don't know how safe that is…" Patrick whispered, glancing at Jin.

"I must protect Sam from the mean and hurtful Artemis!" Jin said, placing an arm protectively around a very scared Sam.

"The only person who he need protection from is you" Artemis said coolly. Killian looked on at the scene, laughing.

"I wouldn't mind this arrangement," Killian said. Patrick shook his head.

"The one that will decide this is Liam! After all he is the one that will have to room with Killian if Jin leaves," Patrick cried, calling Liam up to the stage.

Liam slowly, lethargically climbed up on top of the table with Killian and Patrick. Killian looked over the boy, at his pale skin, long white blonde hair, and large violet eyes.

"The spirits are strong with Killian," Liam said slowly before Patrick shut him up.

"No need to scare the new boy yet," Patrick whispered quickly to Liam.

From down below, Jin was staring daggers at Liam. The boy shivered a little.

"Dorm leader," Liam whispered, "I am afraid that Jin will kill me if I do not agree to this"

"Then you better just accept" Killian said. Liam looked up at the boy.

"You are not a human, are you?" Liam asked. Patrick groaned from the side. Now all chances of Killian staying in Dorm 2 were lost!

Killian just looked at Liam and smiled. It had been a while since he had encountered a human that could see spirits; it was fascinating. Killian could only imagine all the research he could get done living with Liam. Though he was here on a mission, Killian was still a human-obsessed researcher at heart.

"Liam decided that he was okay rooming with me," Killian cried out to everybody. Patrick just looked up at him, shocked. Did Liam's line really make Killian want to be his roommate so badly? _Maybe I should try it out on my girlfriends_, Patrick thought lightly, _'You are not human, are you?'…maybe it is some sort of secret compliment I have not heard of. Rather effective, though…_

"Shouldn't we have any say in this?" Artemis called out, "after all, Jin is going to have to be living with us"

"Killian just agreed to stay with Dorm 2," Patrick said, "and Jin seems happy enough about the placement. That settles it then."

"Yes!" Jin cried, kneeling down on the ground before Sam, "now that we are roommates, It will be easier for me to protect you at all times as we make our way down our road of love"

"Road of love?'" Sam asked, weakly, "Jin…"

"I know that you don't have any feelings for me yet. I am okay with that," Jin said, "it took me quite a while to be okay with the fact that I am gay; there is no rush. As long as we can continue to be best friends, that is all I need for right now."

"Of course we can still be best friends, Jin," Sam said. Jin beamed up at her.

"This is making me ill," Artemis said, walking away. Jin followed behind him.

"Come on then, new roommates, let's go back to our home," Jin said., clasping Artemis's shoulder. Artemis shrugged Jin's hand off and continued walking. When they reached the room, they saw that Liam had already placed Jin's things neatly next to Artemis's desk.

"Oh, Liam is always so thoughtful," Jin said, going through his things, "where do I sleep?"

Artemis pointed to the couch underneath the window.

"Jin is too tall for the couch!" Sam said, "He would feel uncomfortable! He can have my bed and I will sleep on the couch."

"No," Artemis and Jin both said at the same time.

"Sam, you must always be comfortable," Jin said, "I will take the couch, it is no problem."

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. Jin nodded. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. All three teens looked over and saw that Killian and popped his head into the room.

"Hey there. Sorry to interrupt the three of you from building your little love nest, but I need to talk to Sam for a quick moment." Killian said. Sam nodded her head and walked over to the boy, stepping out into the hallway and closing the door behind her.

As soon as she was gone, Artemis turned towards Jin.

"Listen carefully," he said, "I do not care what you feel towards Sam or me—there are certain things you need to know. One, you are a guest in this room. Do not make a mess or try to interfere with anything. Two, I know that you are mentally instable; but if you have any more outburst or revelations that you would like to make, do them outside of this room. And three, if you ever do anything to harm Sam, I will have Butler come here and rearrange your face for you."

Jin glared at Artemis, the tension between the two boys so thick it could be cut with a knife.

"You like him, too, don't you?" Jin asked, "you like Sam and you are afraid that I will take him away from you"

"Don't be insane," Artemis answered. Jin walked up to Artemis slowly.

"Let me tell you something, now, Artemis Fowl. I challenge you right now! I will not give up trying to win over Sam's heart! And if you want to win him, then you better step up your game right now." Jin declared.

Before Artemis had a chance to answer, the door opened and Killian stuck his head in once more.

"Am I interrupting some sort of man-off right now?" Killian asked.

"No," Artemis said quickly, "what do you want, Killian"

"Sam wanted me to call you over as well," the boy said. Artemis looked at Jin, one eyebrow raised and a shadow of a smile on his lips.

"Oh well, then I better go see what Sam wants," Artemis said lightly, leaving Jin in the room by himself.

Outside, in the hallway, Artemis found Sam and Killian standing, looking a little worried.

"What is it?" Artemis asked.

"Killian thinks that Jin's father might be Chairman Lai," Sam whispered quickly.

"What?" Artemis asked.

"Remember when Jin announced his love for Sam? He said his last name—Jin Lai" Killian said.

"Lai is a common last name," Artemis answered.

"Jin is also from Taiwan," Sam said. Artemis shrugged.

"Like I said, Lai is a common name. There is no way that we can prove anything."

"Actually, we know that the Chairman has a son, and that he attended school somewhere in Ireland,' Killian said.

"That wasn't in the file that Ross gave me," Artemis said quickly.

"That is because I didn't tell her," Killian answered, "I have been following Chairman Lai for quite some time now. Though I do not know much, I do know slightly more than what I led on."

"Why didn't you mention this before?" Artemis asked. Killian sighed deeply.

"Because," he answered, "we think that it might have been one of the VAMP agents that leaked out the existence of faeries to Lai. There are only about 6 of us in total, so I couldn't trust anybody else with this information"

"So now what do we have to do exactly," Artemis asked.

"We need to find out if Jin's father really is Chairman Lai," Killian said.

"But how do we do that?" Sam asked. Killian shrugged.

"You two are his roommates. Think of it as a little challenge," Killian said. Artemis groaned and leaned against the side of the door. For somebody who really didn't care much about his classmates, he had been challenged far too many times today…

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so how was it? I actually grew rather attached to Killian in this chapter. he is so straightforward and full of snark that writing him was a lot of fun. And of course, Jin was always as awesome to write as ever. **

**Anyways, please comment and tell me your thoughts, you ideas, and anything you think I need to improve. As I always say, your comments help me so much and keep me motivated to write, and I really do mean that!! Gracias y besos!**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Okay, sorry it took longer to get this chapter out; but this chapter is lucky number 13, so I wanted to get it right =) Also, I will try to get up the next chapter as soon as possible, but Chinese New Years is coming up, and as a girl who grew up in Taiwan, I tend to go all out for it. I think that my preparations will not disrupt my writing schedule; but if I do not post a new chapter within the next few days, you will know why. Hope you enjoy this one. **

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 13**

Sam and Artemis just stood outside their room, both of them wondering how they were going to get Jin to talk about his father. Now usually Jin would talk non-stop about anything when given the opportunity, but this was a more delicate situation.

Jin poked his head outside of the room and saw Artemis and Sam, leaning pensively against the wall.

"Hey, what's wrong with you two?"

Both teens looked up suddenly at Jin, as though they had been startled out of their thoughts. Jin frowned at them.

"What did Killian say that upset both of you so much?" he asked. Artemis looked at the ground, mind racing, trying to come up with a good story.

"Oh, it was nothing," Sam said quickly, trying to satiate Jin.

"No Sam, no need to try to hide this," Artemis said quickly, causing both Sam and Jin to look at him in shock.

"Sam what are you hiding from me? What did Killian say to you?" Jin asked, grabbing the girl's shoulders. Sam just stuttered, not sure of what to say.

"Sam doesn't have any place to go for winter break," Artemis said smoothly, "I was going to invite him to spend it at my house, but it turns out that my parents are going on vacation with Killian's parents and therefore cannot host Sam"

Sam gaped at the boy. What in the world was he hoping to accomplish by spreading this odd story?

"Is that true?" Jin asked Sam, excitedly.

"Yes," Sam said quickly, deciding to just play along with whatever Artemis had in mind. After all, he was the genius in the group.

"That is perfect then!" Jin cried, beaming down at her.

"Perfect? I am going to be spending Christmas alone," Sam said, frowning, forgetting for a moment that this was all a lie, "how can you be so heartless?"

"No," Jin said, hurriedly, "I didn't mean it like that. I was just saying that it was perfect because now you can come and spend winter break with my family."

"Your family!" Sam said in surprise. Now she understood what Artemis was trying to do, "you mean I can actually meet your family?"

"Of course," Jin continued, oblivious to Sam's growing excitement, "now I know that Taiwan is very far away, and you might not want to travel so much, but…"

"No," Sam said quickly, "Jin, I would love to spend winter break with you"

"Really?" Jin asked, eyes lighting up at Sam's enthusiasm.

"Yes," Sam answered, clasping his hand. Jin almost fainted at the movement, "Jin, meeting your family seems like it would be so much fun"

"No need to act so excited about this," Artemis mumbled from the side. Though he knew Sam was only excited by the prospect of being able to catch Chairman Lai, the girl didn't have to give such a convincing performance.

"It is settled then, Sam will spend winter break with me," Jin said, turning around to Artemis, eyebrows raised. Score one for Jin.

Artemis looked away from the boy, refusing to succumb to the boy and his inane challenge. Why would he want to win Sam anyway? It wasn't as though he really cared about losing her. But as those words flew into his head, he knew they were a lie. If they weren't then he wouldn't be so upset over the fact that Sam and Jin were now smiling so brightly at each other.

"Yes, it is settled," Sam said happily.

"No quite, actually"

All three teens turned around to find Patrick walking up to them.

"Why do you always appear out of nowhere?" Artemis asked, "it is slightly scary"

"Dorm leader, what did you mean by your comment?" Jin asked. Patrick leaned against the wall and brushed a few long, brown hairs out of his smoky eyes.

"I mean that Sam might not be able to go home with you over break," he said.

"There is no rule in the handbook that forbids students traveling home with one another," Artemis said

"I know that," Patrick snapped, "I am a dorm leader after all. I was saying that Sam might not be able to travel with Jin because we might not have a winter break at all."

"WHAT?' Sam cried, "why wouldn't you have a winter break?"

"How could you not let us have Christmas off?" Jin asked, frowning deeply. He was not going to let anything get in his plans about spending a wonderful two weeks with Sam by himself.

"Getting winter break off is the reward this year," Patrick said lightly. Artemis and Jin both groaned loudly, while Sam looked on in confusion.

"The reward?" she asked, "reward for what?"

"The inter-dorm competition," Jin said, his frown deepening.

"So what you are trying to say is that our ability to go on winter vacation depends on if we win the inter-dorm competition?" Artemis asked.

"Yes, that is exactly what I am trying to say," Patrick said, "the dorm that wins the competition will get to go wherever they want during the break. The two dorms that lose will have to stay behind and clean the campus during break".

"Isn't that a little too extreme?" Jin asked, "That has to violate some type of rule."

"Oh please, the school president makes up the rules here," Patrick said, suddenly sounding very annoyed.

"And everybody knows that the president is a bit mentally unstable," Artemis said.

"More than just a bit," Patrick added in, darkly. Sam frowned. It was a bit obvious that Patrick didn't care much for this mysterious school president.

"So is this serious?" Sam asked, "will we really not be able to leave SB during break unless we win the competition". She still had trouble wrapping her mind around this outlandish fact. It just seemed so unbelievable.

"Yes," Patrick answered, "unfortunately, this is absolutely serious"

"Well what is the competition?" Jin asked, "if it's sports then Sam and I have it, if it's anything academic then that kid has it"

"I do have a name," Artemis muttered to Jin, the corners of his mouth turning down a bit.

"I really have no idea what the competition is," Patrick answered, "all I know is that I was supposed to round up all of you and bring you to the dining hall. I think the president is going to tell us what we have to so"

The three teens nodded and followed Patrick around to the other rooms, gathering all the students in Dorm 2. All the while, Sam's mind raced. She had never even heard of a situation like this; where students had a win a competition in order to go home over break. It sounded like something out of a bad drama or cheesy novel. What type of man would this president have to be in order to make up such an insane competition?

Sam shuddered at the thought of what the president could look like. _He is probably some sort of towering, intimating man,_ she thought, _one that carries the rule book in one hand and a large cane to swat students with in the other_. The small girl shuddered at the image that came to her head.

"What are you thinking about now?" Artemis whispered to her, "shuddering like a little girl."

"I am just worried about meeting the president," Sam said, "he is probably some huge, scary man, isn't he?"

Artemis gave her one his very rare smiles and looked away without saying a word. Sam stared at him in confusion for a moment. She was about to ask him what exactly that smile meant when they entered the dining hall.

Sam looked up and saw that the dining hall was packed. On the very left side stood a group of students, all wearing capes in various colors. The students standing in the middle were all donned in some type of sports attire. And then there were them, the students of Dorm 2, standing nonchalantly at the right of the hall. Standing on a table in the middle of the hall was a small women. She was very pretty, with light brown hair and twinkling sky blue eyes. She looked to be in her forties and was very slim. She was wearing very informal clothing, jeans with a very casual shirt on top.

"Ah, I am glad to see all of my students here," she said, chirpily. Her voice was high and sweet, sounding as though it should belong to a teenager or a little girl rather than a grown lady.

"Wait… is that… is that the president?" Sam asked.

"Doesn't quite resemble a huge, scary man, does she?" Artemis answered. Sam slapped him gently on the shoulder, frowning. So that is what the boy's smile had been about.

"Where is my little baby?" the president called out. Jin snickered from beside Sam and Patrick groaned loudly.

"Honey, where are you?" the president called out again. Jin pushed Patrick forward. The dorm head stumbled a little and fell to the front of the group. He turned around and glared angrily at Jin.

"Baby, there you are!" the president cried, smiling brightly when she saw Patrick, "I was worried that you had gotten lost"

"Mum, I told you not to call me baby," Patrick mumbled, his cheeks turning a furious shade of crimson as the boys around him started to snicker.

"Wait! Patrick's mother is the president of the school?" Sam asked. Jin nodded.

"Yes she is; and it is very obvious that she favors him. How do you think he got the dorm head position even though he is in the same grade as us?" Jin said.

"I guess I never thought about that," Sam whispered. Now that she thought about it, Patrick was indeed in all of her classes. _I guess I never wondered about tha_t, she thought ruefully.

Sam looked up and saw Patrick's mother staring at her. Sam looked at her with a mix of fear and anticipation. Why was she just staring at her like that?

Suddenly the president let out a little yelp and jumped down from the table. She hurried over to Sam and grasped her hand. Artemis automatically, subconsciously, moved closer to the small girl.

"You are the new boy, right?" the lady said, looking Sam over, "you are absolutely adorable!"

"Oh thank you," Sam said, embarrassed, "um…and yes, I am the new boy. My name is Sam."

"I know that, of course!" the lady said, "what kind of head of the school would I be if I didn't keep a track of all my students? My name is President Janice."

The lady clasped Sam's hand and shook it firmly. Sam smiled nervously at President Janice, who was turning around to face Patrick.

"Baby, why didn't you tell me that you had such a cute new classmate?" she asked. Patrick just shuffled his feet and mumbled something incoherent.

"Are you going to tell us what we are doing here?" Artemis asked the woman, "or do you plan to just keep all of us confined in here for the rest of the day?"

"As chipper as always, Artemis," President Janice said, smiling, "and yes, I will tell you exactly why you are here. This year, I decided that instead of having many mini-competitions throughout the year that we would just have one big one, with one large prize"

"So you are really serious about denying people the chance to go home over winter," Jin asked.

"When you say it like that it sounds heartless!" the lady cried.

"Because it is," Killian interjected in his normal, frank manner. President Janice turned around and looked at him, confused.

"Another new student?" she asked.

"He just transferred here today," Patrick said quickly, "but that doesn't matter. Why in the world are you using winter holidays as a reward?"

"Because, it makes the competition more spirited, I think" President Janice said, "plus the cleaning crew just left so I need somebody to clean the school" she mumbled to herself.

"The cleaning crew left because you forgot to pay them again! Why are we getting punished for your incompetence?" Patrick asked, angrily.

"Talking to your mother like that! Such a rude little boy" President Janice cried, "but either way—this has already been decided. So if you would like to travel over winter holidays then your dorm will need to win the competition."

"Fine, what is it then?" Jin asked. He was willing to do any sort of thing so that he could travel back home with Sam over break.

"Well…" President Janice said, hopping back on the table, "this year I would like to reintroduce the Miss SB contest!!"

Her statement was met with dead silence as the hall full of boys stared up at her.

"The what?" Killian asked finally, after what seemed like a whole minute of silence.

"The Miss SB contest!" President Janice repeated. Patrick walked up to the table where she was.

"By Miss SB… do you mean a beauty contest?" he asked, looking thoughtful.

"Yes, that is exactly what I mean!" the woman said happily. Patrick turned back around and faced Dorm 2, a wry smile spread on his lips.

"Well then, boys, we have this down, don't we?" he asked. The other two dorms erupted into angry shouts.

"That is absolutely no fair!" Oscar, the head of Dorm 3 shouted, "everybody knows that Dorm 2 would win a contest based solely on looks!"

"Who said it was based solely on looks?" President Janice said. Everyone became quiet once again and looked back up at her.

"The Miss SB contest will run just like every other pageant. Looks will only count for one third the final score. Another third will come from the talent portion." She said, looking pointedly at Dorm 3. If anybody was known for having outlandish and pageant like talents, it was the students of Dorm 3.

"And the other third," she continued, "will come from a special sports competition round"

With that, the Dorm 1 students started to mutter in approval.

"A sports competition round in a beauty pageant?" asked Patrick, "isn't that a little weird?"

"Isn't having a beauty pageant in a boy's school a little weird to begin with?" Killian asked. Jin frowned at him.

"Hey, whose side are you on? You are Dorm 2 after all," he whispered furiously to the young vamp. Killian just shrugged. He had never imagined that coming to a human boarding school would be so entertaining.

"Alright, then it's settled," President Janice said, "each dorm with pick four members to represent them in the Miss SB contest. Each member will have to compete in all three rounds and will be judged by a panel of young ladies from our sister school!"

"Alright, President! I accept this competiton!" Oscar yelled out dramatically.

"I accept too!" Mike, the leader of Dorm 1, cried, flexing his muscles. Both of them looked over to Patrick, who sighed loudly.

"I still think this is too extreme," he said lazily, "but I suppose I must accept as well"

"Then the Miss SB competition will be held in out auditorium in two week's time!" President Janice cried out. She leaped off the table and walked out of the dining hall, leaving three dorms full of confused, slightly angry, and highly competitive schoolboys on their own.

"Don't think that your dorm can win just because this is a beauty pageant" Mike yelled, pointing his finger at Patrick.

"That is right," Oscar said, "a third of this competition is based of talent, and we all know what the most talented Dorm is"

"Please, singing opera, acting, twirling batons? What do you expect to win?" Patrick asked.

"Don't get too confident in yourself, pretty boy," Mike said, "after all, this is a school based on good looks. Everybody who goes here can pass the beauty standards"

"My dorm," Patrick said, slowly, walking up to the other two dorm leaders, "was handpicked my me. I have not only the best-looking boys, but also the most talented, athletic, and smartest of the SB students. There is no reason for me to not be confident."

"Oh really?" Mike asked, "well if you are so confident then let us place a little wager on this."

"Fine!" Patrick said. Oscar inched away from the two, not wanting to get involved in whatever wager they were going to make.

"If you lose the competition then you will have to shave off your precious hair," Mike said. Patrick's hand immediately went up to his perfect, brown hair. He frowned slightly.

"Alright," Patrick said. Everybody in Dorm 2 gasped a little. Patrick was always known for being extremely vain. If there was one thing he loved more than anything else it was his looks.

"But if you loose," Patrick continued, "then you will have to give up your position as captain of the basketball team and give it to me". He saw Mike's hands clench into fists.

"Alright." Mike said. Everybody in Dorm 1 gasped. SB was known for having one of the best basketball teams in all of Ireland, if not all of Northern Europe. Being the captain of the team was an illustrious, powerful title.

"It is settled then, let's go" Patrick said, turning around and motioning for the rest of Dorm 2 to follow after him.

"It is," Mike answered back, storming out of the hall, the boys of Dorm 1 hot on his heel.

Oscar and the rest of the Dorm 3 boys were left in the hall, staring in wonder.

"Alright!" Oscar said happily, after a few minutes, "all we have to do is stay out of the way and let those two dorms destroy each other!"

"Do you really think they will try to?" one of the Dorm 3 boys.

"Of course," Oscar said, "If I know Patrick, which I do, I am sure that he has already starting to assemble his boys and is creating a battle strategy right now"

* * *

And it turned out that Oscar really did know Patrick. The Dorm head had already assembled all of the Dorm 2 boys in the 4th floor kitchen, a thick binder in front of him.

"What is that binder?" Sam asked. Patrick held it up.

"This binder is my little cheat sheet into the minds of the SC girls," Patrick said, "it has little bios on every single student as well as the things that they like."

"That is so creepy," Killian muttered. Sam nodded her head in agreement.

"But most importantly," Patrick continued, "it has the list of best looking boys, as ranked by the girls"

"Wait, you mean the girls actually have a list of us in order of looks?" Jin asked. Patrick nodded.

"Every month, the girls rank the top ten SB students in order of looks and who they would want to date."

"Well, then let us see this list!" Jin cried. Everybody else in the dorm nodded quickly.

"Fine," Patrick said, pulling out what seemed to be a thick stack of paper. But then he suddenly started to unfold it, and Sam saw that it was actually some type of banner.

Casually, Patrick strung the banner across the top of the stove. Everybody leaned forward to read it. The banner had pictures of ten boys, and their name written in gold writing next to it.

"The bottom three don't really matter in this competition," Patrick said, "and if you look at the top 7…well…"

Killian leaned forward and read the list of the top 7 students out loud.

"Number 7, Dorm Leader Oscar". The crowd gave a little groan.

"Number 6, Liam". Everybody patted a very surprised looking Liam on the back.

"Number 5; Dorm Leader Mike". The crowd groaned again.

"Number 4; Jin". Jin smiled and waved at the crowd.

"And now for the top three," Patrick said. Killian looked over the top three names with a very amused expression.

"Number 3 is Patrick, number 2 is Sam, and number 1 is Artemis," Killian said, reading out the names quickly.

"I used to be number 2 in the school," Patrick said, leaning towards Sam, "I guess the girls decided they liked the effeminate look better"

Sam looked at the sign, shocked. Her, the second best looking guy in SB? She knew it was probably some sort of honor, but she couldn't help but feel a little queasy at the thought. Did she really look like a guy that much?

Artemis looked down at Sam, amusement clearly written in his eyes. Sam looked up at him with a look of utter shock and a little disgust.

"Am I really a good looking boy?" she asked him. Artemis wanted to laugh out loud at the girl's outlandish statement.

"I suppose so," Artemis answered, looking back up at the sign.

"Look— Sam is second," Jin said, coming up to the small girl and hugging her tightly, "I knew that I picked a good one to chase after!"

Artemis blanched a little and pushed Jin away from her.

"Do you want to crush all of his bones?" he asked. Jin just stood up straighter.

"What I want to know is why Artemis is in first place. What kind of attractive qualities does he even have?" Jin asked.

"Jin, Artemis has been in the top position ever since the list first came out," Patrick answered, "though as to what the girls see in him, I can't answer that".

Artemis just sighed and leaned against the table.

"Well it is fine that you unraveled you little list," Killian said, "but what are we going to do with it now?"

"We pick the four contestants that will represent Dorm 2," Patrick said, pointing to the banner, "and as you can see the top four students on the list are all part of this dorm."

"So Sam, Artemis, Jin, and you will be our representatives?" Killian asked. Patrick nodded his head.

"With a team like this, there is no way I am losing my hair."

"No," Artemis said suddenly. Everybody turned to look at him.

"What?" Patrick asked.

"There is no way that I am going to enter some school beauty pageant." Artemis said coolly, "the inter-dorm competitions are for those who have nothing productive to do with their lives".

"Artemis, you have to do this!" Patrick cried, "if we don't have you there is a possibility that we can lose, which means that **MY HAIR WILL BE GONE**!"

"Sometimes I think you are as insane as your mother," Artemis mumbled. Killian sighed, grabbing Artemis and pulling him away from the group.

"Do you not see what you are doing?" Killian whispered angrily, "Dorm 2 needs to win the competition"

"I didn't know that you had such dorm spirit," Artemis replied, drolly.

"Are you a flaming idiot?" Killian asked the boy. Artemis frowned a little, not used to being called an idiot.

"If Dorm 2 doesn't win the competition," Killian continued, "then we cannot get to go to Taiwan over break and all of our chances of confronting and bringing down Chairman Lai would be ruined".

"There is always another way of meeting Chairman Lai," Artemis said, "one that doesn't involve a beauty contest".

Killian was just about ready to physically knock some sense into the boy when Jin came up behind him.

"Killian, let me try to persuade him," Jin said. Artemis almost snorted.

"How in the world do you plan on convincing me about anything?" Artemis asked. Killian looked at Jin and nodded, patting the boy on the shoulder and leaving. Killian knew that Jin would bring Sam into the picture; and if Artemis had one weak spot, it was that tiny girl.

"Jin, I really do not think that there is anything…."

"This is the challenge," Jin said, interrupting Artemis.

"What?" Artemis asked, utterly confused, which was something very rare normally; but very commonplace whenever he conversed with Jin.

"This is the challenge over Sam. Whichever of the two of us that gets the higher score in the pageant gets to chase Sam freely," Jin said. Artemis looked at him, aghast.

"Why would you think that I would ever want to chase Sam?" he asked. Jin sighed out.

"Because you don't want me and him to ever be together," Jin said. Artemis actually gave out a slight laugh at that statement.

"There is no way that you and Sam will ever be together, so I actually could care less about that," he said. Jin frowned.

"If you don't accept my challenge, then you have no right to ever chase after Sam," Jin said, "I told you I was willing to fight for him, and I will. I will not give Sam up this easily, and deep down, I don't think you will either."

"Jin, you can do whatever you would like. There is no way that I am going to accept this challenge of yours," Artemis said. Jin just looked at the boy for a good minute.

"Fine then," he said. And with that Jin turned his back and stormed away from Artemis, heading straight towards Sam, who was in the midst of a discussion with Killian. Without any warning, Jin grabbed Sam's shoulder, spun her around, bent down and kissed her deeply before she had a chance to react.

Artemis watched in shock as the whole thing happened. His blood started to boil when Jin grabbed Sam, and he was seeing red when Jin actually kissed the girl. Artemis saw Sam's eyes widen in surprise as Jin continued to kiss her. It looked as though she was paralyzed in fear.

Quickly Artemis walked up to Jin. He pulled the boy off of Sam and glared at him.

"Fine, I accept," Artemis said icily, "you said that you were going to put up a fight? Well you better have meant it, because I do not think you know what you are going up against".

"Oh, trust me, I won't lose," Jin said just as icily.

"So are you going to do the pageant?" Patrick asked Artemis. The boy nodded his head solemnly. Sam, who was still in utter shock of having been so suddenly kissed by Jin, was standing completely still. Her head was spinning and her mind felt a bit fuzzy. She felt herself starting to fall forward.

Artemis saw the girl starting to sway and caught her just as soon as she fell. Jin reached forward, as to take Sam from him.

"I think you have done enough today, Jin." Artemis said, hoisting Sam up, "I am going to take Sam back to the room. "

And with that, Artemis left the kitchen. Jin just stood where he was, stewing.

"I am a bit confused about what just happened," Patrick said, "but as long as Artemis is going to participate, then that's all I care about".

Killian just nodded, a very amused smirk spread on his face. He had a feeling that this pageant was going to be quite interesting…

* * *

**A/N: Okay, how was it? I know it was a lot for one chapter, but like I said-- it was lucky number 13 so I felt like I had to make it big! haha. As always, please give me your feedback on the chapter. Everything you say really helps me improve and expand on my writing! Gracias y besos!**

**Also, happy New Years everyone. 恭喜发财!! May the year of the Ox bring you all much happiness and luck. **


	14. Chapter 14

**A.N: Alright, everybody. Here is the new chapter! There are a few sad parts in this one, but I tried to counter them with some humor; so don't worry!! I hope that you enjoy reading this, because I had a lot of fun writing it. And I know that this one is pretty long, it just might be my happiness and energy from my New Years celebration carrying on. Okay, have fun reading!!**

* * *

** Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 14**

Sam regained consciousness and found that she was in a bed. Looking down, she saw stark, navy blankets and was shocked. She was in Artemis's bed. Quickly, she lifted her head and saw Artemis, sitting at his desk, rubbing his head.

"Artemis?" she said slowly. The boy immediately turned around.

"Ah, you finally regained consciousness," he said, getting up and walking to her, "you are much too weak".

Sam sat up, shaking her head. The memories of what had just happened came flooding back. She had just been kissed by Jin. _She had just been kissed by Jin in front of Artemis!!_

Groaning, Sam slouched back down, pulling the blanket above her head. What had Jin been thinking? Normally, the thought of getting kissed by a good-looking boy wasn't something that Sam would mind. But getting kissed by a good-looking boy in front of the boy that she liked was not such a great thing.

Artemis leaned against the side of the bunk, looking down at the lump on his bed in amusement. He kneeled down beside the bed.

"As effective as your camouflage is; I still know that you are here," he said lightly.

"I don't want you to see my face!" Sam said; her voice muffled by the thick blanket.

"I don't see how it makes any difference," Artemis said, "it is not as though I am incapable of remembering what happened between you and Jin just because I cannot see your face".

"Let us not talk about that, okay?" Sam asked, lowering the blanket a little. Her cheeks were a deep shade of crimson. It made her eyes an even brighter green and her usually light freckles stand out more than ever. Artemis smiled slightly. The girl was strangely endearing when she was embarrassed.

"It wasn't such a traumatic thing," he said, leaning down so he was at eye level with her, "stop overdramatizing it."

"You weren't at all upset when you saw that?" Sam asked. Artemis was a little taken aback by her question. Of course he was upset, he was flaming. Though the reasons behind his anger where still a little fuzzy to him.

"I..I…"

"Sam! I came here with an apology lunch!"

Artemis groaned and turned around to see who had interrupted him. Through the door walked Jin, a large bowl in his hands. Artemis immediately stood up.

"I was sitting in the kitchen, thinking, and I realized that I did a horrible thing," Jin said, eyes wide with sincerity, "though kissing you wasn't such a horrible experience for me, I am sure that it wasn't for you."

"Jin…" Sam started, but the boy just waved his hand.

"So I was thinking of what I could do to apologize, and I thought that I would cook you something. When I was young I used to get sick and faint all of the time, and whenever I woke up, I was always starving; so I thought that maybe you would be too. My cooking skills aren't that great, but I did try to make something that you could eat."

"You talk entirely too much," Artemis muttered as Jin walked up to Sam and placed the bowl on the bedside table next to her. Sam looked in the bowl to find it filled with noodles. On top of the noodles, using some type of sauce, Jin had drawn a little sad face with the words "I'm sorry" underneath it.

"I wanted to cook you something American, you know, so that it would remind you of home and be comforting, but I didn't know how to make any American dishes, and I didn't want to get you sick by preparing a meal wrong. If you don't like this then…"

Sam cut off Jin's babbling by looking up and giving him a bright smile. Jin. Taken aback by the sudden movement, stuttered a bit and then just trailed off.

"Jin," Sam said, "I don't know what it is about you; but I find that it is impossible for me to stay angry at you".

Jin smiled widely at Sam's words. He had been worried that Sam would never talk to him again after the stunt he had pulled.

"As long as I can keep you happy, that is all that matters," Jin said softly. Artemis felt like gagging at the boy's words.

"Alright, eat up now," Jin said, pushing a fork into Sam's hands. Sam scooped up a few noodles and ate them.

"Jin! This is really good," Sam said, shoveling some more noodles into her mouth. Jin's smile grew even wider.

'Really? If you like them then I can make them for you whenever you want," he said. Artemis, who couldn't stand to watch Sam and Jin make puppy eyes at each other any longer walked off, grabbing his sweater.

"You're leaving?" Sam asked. Artemis nodded his head curtly.

'The two of you seem to have everything under control," he said simply before putting on his sweater and walking out the door.

"What is wrong with him?" Sam asked as the door closed shut.

"He's just jealous, don't mind him," Jin said, sitting next to the bunk.

"Jealous?" Sam asked, sitting straight up, "jealous of what?"

"Jealous that you and I get along to well," Jin said, "he has a crush on you too, you know".

"What?" Sam cried, bounding out of the bed. She sat right next to Jin, "you can't be serious, can you?"

"Why would I joke about something like that?" Jin said.

"Artemis can't have a crush on me!" Sam cried, "if he likes me that would make him…"

"Gay?" Jin filed in, "Yes, I do suppose so. I never saw Artemis as being gay, but I guess it doesn't surprise me all that much. I mean, he had always hated women"

Sam just sat there in shock. Artemis couldn't like her. He knew her as his roommate, as a boy. He couldn't be gay. The boy that she was in love with couldn't be gay. Jin had to be mistaken.

"Jin, I totally forgot. Dr. Murray wanted me to go to the infirmary today to pick up some allergy medications. I better go, she said quickly.

"Oh, do you want me to come with you?" Jin asked. Sam just shook her head.

"It's fine. I won't be long," she said, rushing out of the room, thankful that Jin was so gullible.

Sam ran outside the dorm, regretting the fact that she hadn't brought a jacket with her the moment that she stepped out into the frigid winter chill.

_Where is that boy_, she thought to herself, walking away from the dorm. The campus wasn't massive, but it wasn't very small either. There were countless places that Artemis could be.

_If I were a genius and wanted to go on a walk somewhere in campus, where would I go_, she thought. Ruefully, she shook her head. That train of thought would never work; she wasn't a genius, so there was no way that she could make herself think like one.

Sam wandered around, growing increasingly colder as she stayed outside. She frowned miserably, hugging her arms tightly around her middle, as though to block out the freezing wind. First she had frozen in Wakkanai, and now she was freezing in Ireland. _I don't think I have ever felt this much discomfort until I came to SB_, she thought to herself as she continued to walk.

Finally, as she neared the track, she caught sight of a familiar tall, thin figure with jet-black hair. Breathing a sigh of relief, she started to run over to him.

"Artemis!" she cried. Surprised, the boy turned around and pinned her with his bright eyes.

"Sam…what are you doing here?" Artemis asked, "where's Jin?"

"I…I…came to look for you," Sam said, standing in front of him. Artemis sighed loudly.

"You should be back in the room resting. Do you want to faint again?" he asked, looking down at her, "and why did you come outside without a jacket? How daft can you be?"

He took off his sweater and threw it at her. Sam held it in her hands for a few moments before looking up at him. Artemis had never before outwardly shown that he cared about her.

"Artemis…" she started, breathing deeply, "Artemis, you can't fall in love with me, okay?"

The boy just stood there, completely taken aback. Where had this outburst come from? Could Sam read his mind now? Wait… but even if she could…did he love her? Even he didn't know the answer to that question.

"Please, who would love you?" Artemis said, frowning, "though I don't see why you care so suddenly about this."

"Because you looked so upset when you left the room earlier, and Jin…"

"What does Jin have to do with any of this?" Artemis asked, interrupting her, "I don't see why you have to constantly bring him up"

"It's because…" Sam started, faltering a little. Why was he getting so upset when she mentioned Jin? It wasn't like him to be angry about anything.

"Do you like him?" Artemis asked, regretting the question the moment the words left his lips. What had gotten into him? Why should he even care what Sam did?

Sam looked up at Artemis and sighed deeply. _This might be the only way I can keep him from falling in love with me_, she thought. _I don't care what he does, just as long as he doesn't start loving me._

"Yes," she answered simply, looking up at him, "I like Jin a lot. So I am just a little upset that you, as my roommate, cannot be nicer to him."

Artemis' fists clenched at his side. His face remained as impassive as ever, but on the inside, Sam's words had the same effect as if she had force-fed him a bucket of acid. So this was her choice. She liked Jin. She liked Jin. The words kept playing in his head. He had lost.

"Fine," Artemis said finally, "I will try to be nicer to Jin in the future for your sake. Now if you excuse me, I have to go talk to Patrick".

"Talk to Patrick, why?' Sam asked suddenly. Artemis sighed deeply and turned away.

"I am going to drop out of the pageant. I don't know why I agreed to take part in it in the first place". And with that, the boy hurried away. Sam stood were she was for a few moments. She looked down and saw that she was still holding Artemis' sweater. Wordlessly, she fell to her knees, looking straight down at the ground. She knew she had done the right thing, but why did it feel so wrong?

* * *

Patrick didn't take the news of Artemis dropping out of the pageant as badly as everyone would expect. Though there was some screaming and a few tears (all from Patrick's side, of course), the boy finally gave up his arguments.

"Why would any girl like a moody, unreliable man like you anyway?" Patrick finally said to him, at the end of a long and bitter debate. Artemis felt himself frowning at the words.

"Yes,' he said softly, "no girl would ever like me"

"Alright, if you are done then you can get out," Patrick said harshly, "we will just get Killian to take your place. His personality is much better than yours anyways".

And with that Artemis was out of the competition and nobody saw Patrick for the rest of the two weeks that led up to the pageant. Whenever asked about his whereabouts, the dorm leader would just say that he was in deep preparation for the upcoming completion.

"He had a very strict beauty regiment," his roommate, Mark, told everyone one day at lunch, "he wakes up every morning, puts an ice pack on his face to reduce swelling and then does 100 crunches. He then puts on a facemask and a body moisturizer and exercises the whole day. Plus he is on a diet and isn't eating anything except for vegetables, chicken breast, and water".

"Isn't that a little too extreme?" Sam asked, in between bites of a giant piece of steak. She, on the other hand, had done absolutely no preparations for the contest. Instead, she had been worrying about Artemis. Ever since that day, he had been avoiding both her and Jin like the plague. Straight after class he would go to the library and wouldn't come back into the room until around 12.

"Well at least the pageant is tomorrow, so I guess Patrick can stop his crazy routine then," Jin said, helping himself to a bit of Sam's steak.

"Yeah, he seems to be very worried about Mike and the other Dorm 1 boys beating him", Mark said.

"What about Oscar and the Dorm 3 boys?" Sam asked.

"Oh please," Jin answered, "Dorm 3 is a bit of a joke and Oscar is the daftest boy here. Do you know that he has repeated grade 12 two times already?"

'Really?" Sam asked. Oscar had always seemed a little older than the rest…

"It is a shame that Artemis dropped out, though," Killian said, from his perch at the next table, "the thought of participating in a beauty contest isn't very exciting to me".

"He's a weirdo," Jin said darkly, "what kind of person never even speaks to his two roommates? I feel like he's some type of ghost that just stays for the night and then disappears as soon as morning comes".

"Alright, enough talk about Artemis," Sam said quickly, trying to change he subject. The boy had been all she had been thinking about for the past two weeks, she didn't need to have discussions about him as well, "we should all probably go back and rest for the pageant. It is very important that we don't lose"

"Yes," Jin said, getting up, "we cannot lose our winter break!"

"Who cares about winter break?" Liam said from his seat next to Killian, "just imagine the horrible punishment that we will all receive if we cause Patrick to lose all of his hair!"

The whole group shuddered at the thought.

"Okay," Sam said, standing up as tall as she could, "let's all do our best in the pageant tomorrow and save Patrick's hair!" The rest of the crowd cheered loudly.

"Why do I have the feeling she has lost sight of the ultimate goal?" Killian groaned to himself, leaning back in his chair.

* * *

The next day, Sam woke up at the crack of dawn, too nervous and anxious to sleep any longer. She peered down from her bunk to see Jin, sleeping like a baby on the sofa.

"How can he sleep like that on the morning of the competition?" she whispered, frowning. Suddenly there was a noise from the bathroom. Sam looked up nervously. What could it be? _It is probably one of the spirits that Liam always sees_, she thought, _what else would be making noise this early in the morning?_

She peeked over the edge of the bunk and saw Artemis exiting the bathroom, fully dressed. He picked up his school bag and his sweater and started to make his way out of the room.

"Artemis!" Sam whispered, causing the boy to stop in his tracks, one hand rested on the doorknob. He sighed loudly and turned around to face her. He saw two huge, bright eyes peeking out at him through golden brown bangs and felt a familiar pit in his stomach.

"What do you want, Sam?" Artemis asked coolly, wanting nothing more than to just leave the room.

"Are you going to be coming to the pageant today?" she asked.

"There are still some things I need to do," he said, "I can't take time off for such a trivial thing."

"Oh," Sam said, looking a bit dejected.

"Just remember what is at stake here and do your best," Artemis said before leaving the room. Sam stared at the place where he had been and sighed. She didn't think her lie to him was quite worth it anymore…

* * *

Sam, Jin, and Killian all entered the auditorium about ten minutes before the pageant began. The whole place was packed full of students from both SB and SC. This was the biggest event of the whole year, and everybody was waiting to see what the result would be. Who was the overall best boy in all of SB?

The three teens made their way back stage. Already the teams from Dorms 1 and 3 were lined up, looking a bit nervous.

"The pageant starts in five minutes," President Janice called, sticking her head back stage, "you should all be getting ready!"

"Where in the world is Patrick?" Jin mumbled, looking around. Sam suddenly caught sight of what seemed to be a large, makeshift tent made out of white bed sheets at the very back of the area.

"Jin, Killian," she whispered, pointing towards the tent. Slowly, the three of them made their way to it.

"I am a little afraid as to what we will find under there," Jin said, as he placed a shaking hand on the tent. Killian sighed and pushed Jin out of the way. He grabbed a side of the tent, pulling it open. A huge cloud of steam rolled out.

"Hey! Can't you see I am giving myself a last minute steam bath?"

Patrick's voice rang loud from amongst all the smoke. Sam looked around and saw a humidifier on a small table inside the tent.

"Patrick, we only have five minutes to get completely ready!" she cried. Patrick sighed and stepped out of the smoke. For the first time in two weeks, Sam laid eyes on her dorm head, and what she saw made her gasp.

Patrick had always been the best looking one in all of the dorms (rightfully earning the title "pretty boy"), but in these two weeks he had somehow made himself look even better. He had lost weight, which actually made him look a bit taller and his features more defined. His skin was smooth and flawless, and his prized hair looked as perfect as it always had, that type of planned messiness that framed his face exactly. Sam even thought that his eyes had somehow become a bit smokier and more seductive than they usually were.

"Dorm leader, you look amazing!" Sam said, breathlessly. Patrick just smiled and tossed his hair a little.

"It's what I am known for," he said slowly. Suddenly a gong chimed and Sam heard President Janice's loud voice.

"Welcome everybody to the Miss SB contest! Today, we have 12 of our best-looking, most talented students here to compete for the illustrious title of Miss SB!! Let us welcome the contestants of Dorm 1!!"

The crowd cheered and the four Dorm 1 representatives all walked out onto stage. Sam, Killian, and Jin peeked out from the side. All of the sudden music started to play and the boys started to do an odd martial arts routine.

"What is going on?" Sam asked. Patrick looked out.

"Oh, they are just doing their introduction skit," Patrick said. Sam blanched.

"Introduction skit?" she cried, "Patrick, we didn't prepare anything!"

"Don't worry," Patrick said calmly, arranging his hair, "I gave some guy a bunch of video clips I found lying around and he said he would create a sort of montage for our introduction."

"Oh, okay," Sam said, looking back out as the dorm 1 boys started to sing some sort of song. She leaned forward to carefully listen to the lyrics.

_**"Sit up Number one! Yay! Sit up Number 2! Yay!**_

_**Our 3 P.M. snack is protein!**_

_**We can yell really loud, but we can't study at all!!**_

_**Come to Dorm 1 for training!"**_

"Was that seriously supposed to make people want to vote for them?" Killian asked, in an awed voice.

"I don't think I have ever heard an odder and more truthful song before," Jin whispered.

"Um…thank you Dorm 1!!" President Janice called out as the Dorm 1 boys moved to the side, smiling widely.

"Now we will have a video presentation from Dorm 2!" the lady continued. Suddenly, a giant screen dropped down from the top of the stage.

"Patrick, did you see this video before?" Jin asked. Patrick shook his head.

"I just gave them random clips," he answered. Sam looked at the screen, fear rising in her chest.

The screen suddenly lit up and showed a video if Liam sitting behind table, a large, blown-up picture of the Dorm 2 boys behind him.

_**"Dorm 2"**_ the video Liam stated calmly, _**"is full of hotties. You will always have your eyes on us"**_

A picture of Sam, Jin, Killian, and Patrick appeared on the screen, met by several howls from the audience.

_**"Dorm 2, where male loving and fighting is in full effect. Fantastic!"**_

The screen cut to a video clip of Artemis kissing Sam, then to a video of Jin confessing his love to Sam, and finally a clip of Artemis and Jin glaring at each other in the kitchen two weeks ago.

"Who…who took videos of those?" Sam gasped.

_**"You just can't miss it!"**_ video Liam continued as various pictures of the Dorm 2 boys played on the screen, _**"if you think your eyes are deceiving you; if you think there can't be such good looking boys out there, then just stay tuned. This will give you the emotional high of the year. Dorm 2!!!"**_

And with that the screen went blank. Patrick pushed the rest of the group forward and they all walked onto the stage. The crowd started cheering loudly and Sam stood there, still a bit in shock at the video. _Male loving and fighting in full effect?_

"Sam, wave to the crowd" Killian whispered in her ear. Sam suddenly looked up and waved, smiling brightly. She turned to see Patrick, winking and blowing kisses to the large amount of screaming girls in the audience.

"Thank you Dorm 2!!" President Janice called out. Sam, Jin, Killian, and Patrick all moved to the side of the stage, next to the Dorm 1 contestants. Patrick looked over at Dorm Leader Mike, smiling widely.

"It seems our video was a bit more popular than your martial arts and song routine," he said loftily. Mike just glared at him.

"Okay now, everybody prepare to see a wonderful song and dance routine by our very own Dorm 3 contestants!" President Janice called out. Sam looked up and saw a cloud of smoke billowing onto the stage. A very soft, sweet music started to fill the auditorium.

Suddenly, three boys, all wearing tutus came out. The were carrying Dorm Leader Oscar, who was in a very elaborate, frilly ballerina costume.

"What in the…" Jin gasped as the three Dorm 3 boys started to sing their song.

**_"Our dorm leader loves ballet!_**

**_He has been dancing a lot recently because he is worried about his metabolism!_**

**_It is okay to repeat a school year multiple times!! Go Dorm 3!!"_**

"Are they serious?" Patrick asked, not quite knowing what to think about that song.

"Alright I take back what I said earlier. _This _song is the oddest and most truthful song I have ever heard before," Jin said as the Dorm 3 boys started to do an odd ballet dance.

"Oscar does have pretty good agility," Killian said, trying not to burst out laughing as the Dorm Head pranced by them in his fluffy tutu.

"Alright!" President Janice called out as Dorm 3 finally finished their dance, "Now that the introductions have been made—let the competition begin!!"

* * *

**A/N: So there it is!! This chapter was so much fun to write, what with the tensions between Sam and Artemis and also with the start of the pageant. I think each introduction skit fit the personalities of the dorms pretty nicely, and I enjoyed every minute of writing it. Next chapter will be a big one, but also a very good one-- one that all of you have probably been waiting for. Not ony will we have the pageant; Sam will finally confess the fact that she is a girl to Artemis and Artemis will finally make a decision about his feelings towards Sam!**

**So keep reading! And as always, please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter. I love all of you and your feedback always helps me improve and think of new ideas. Gracias y besos!! **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: So this is a pretty long chapter-- but it is also a really important one. Now I know that I always say that I have fun writing the chapters (and I always do!); but the last scene in this chapter really was my absolute favorite! I am a hopeless romantic, so I can't help but love to write romance scenes. Any ways, I will stop drabbling and let you read the chapter. Hope you enjoy!**

**

* * *

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 15**

The beauty round of the pageant was surprisingly ordinary; well as ordinary as a beauty round for boys could be. After the opening introductions, Sam was expecting them to have to do something ridiculous—such as prance around in ballroom gowns or something else of that sort. But, in reality, all the contestants had to do was walk the stage, stand at the end and do some kind of cute gesture or say a few words.

"That won't be too bad," Jin said, fixing the collar of his shirt backstage.

"There is no way that Dorm 2 can lose this round," Patrick said calmly, "after all this is based on looks and we are obviously the best looking of the group".

Sam looked at Jin, Killian, and Patrick and couldn't help but agree with the dorm leader's words. The three boys standing in front of her were some of the best looking people she had ever seen.

"It's all about electrifying the judges," Patrick continued.

"Electrifying?" Sam asked. Patrick nodded his head.

"Everybody has some feature that electrifies somebody," he said, "for example, for me it is my eyes". He turned and pinned Sam with a wholly seductive glare. The girl felt herself melt on the spot.

"Oh," she whispered. Patrick smiled widely.

"For Jin… I think it's his hair," he said. Sam frowned.

"How can hair electrify people?" she demanded. Jin turned towards the girl and flipped his golden mane, causing it to fall messily around his handsome, boyish face. Sam nodded her head—the movement had been odd, but for some reason it was fairly attractive.

"And for you…" Patrick said, looking down at Sam, "for you it would have to be…"

"His lips," Jin said quickly. Patrick looked at Sam's face and nodded.

"Yes, the lips are good. Especially when you smile. Try to do that up there," he said. Sam blushed a furious shade of red and nodded.

"And no fake smiles either," Killian added in, "you look absolutely terrifying when you give people a fake smile". Sam frowned deeply and smacked the boy on the shoulder.

"It wouldn't hurt you to be less frank sometimes," she said. Killian just shot her a grin as President Janice started calling out the names of the boys. One by one, each boy walked across stage and did some sort of ridiculous pose at the end. Sam, Killian, Jin, and Patrick all observed the boys from back stage.

"This win is most definitely ours," Patrick said again as he saw Dorm Leader Mike do some sort of frightening martial arts kick at the end of the stage. The SC girl judges winced slightly at the movement.

Finally, it was Dorm 2's turn. Killian was the first to be called up, followed by Jin. Both boys, judging by the expression on the SC girls' faces, did a quite exceptional job. President Janice then called out Patrick's name.

"Watch how a master does it," Patrick whispered to Sam. He then sauntered onto the stage in his normal slow and seductive fashion. He came to the end of the stage and gazed at the panel of judges with his "electrifying" eyes. Though she was a good distance away from the girls, Sam could swear that she heard them gasp.

"That boy is too good at this," Sam mumbled to herself as President Janice called her name. Breathing deeply, Sam walked onto the stage. She really didn't know what she was going to do when she got the end. She was a girl after all, and she really didn't know what kind of cute poses guys did to attract the attention of girls. Just the thought of doing that made her a little sick.

Sam reached the end of the stage and looked up at the audience. She was about to strike some pose when she noticed a very familiar figure sitting by himself at the back of the auditorium. Though he was half covered by shadows, Sam could still make out a head of jet-black hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes. Artemis had come to watch her after all. He did care!

Subconsciously, Sam's face broke out into a wide, bright smile that lit up her whole face.

"Oh my, what a cute smile from Sam," President Janice cried, "he really does look a bit like an adorable little girl when he smiles like this, doesn't he? How cute!"

Sam just nodded her head towards the judges, choosing to ignore President Janice's words. She then walked over to the rest of the Dorm 2 boys.

"Good job taking my advice," Patrick whispered to her, "I told you smiling would work".

After all the boys finished their walk down the stage, Dorm 2 was named the winner of the round, to nobody's surprise.

"I told you the SC girls wouldn't be able to resist our charm," Patrick said, blowing a kiss to the judges as they all made their way backstage. They had a 20 minute break until the talent portion began.

Sam, Killian, and Jin decided to use their time to scarf down some lunch before they had to go back on stage. Sam smiled widely as Killian brought over the lunchboxes. If there was one thing that the girl liked to do, it was eat. She dug into her lunch as soon as it was placed in front of her. _That was one good thing about going to an all boy's school_, she thought, _you really don't have to use any manners while eating._

Suddenly there came a noise from the end of the room. All the boys looked up to see Melinda standing by the door of the backstage. She was wearing her school uniform and her caramel colored hair fell in a waterfall of curls down her back. Sam thought, enviously, that the girl still looked as beautiful as she had the first time she had seen her. _No girl should be that beautiful_, Sam thought ruefully as Melinda scanned the room with her sparkling blue eyes. She caught sight of Sam and broke out into a big smile.

Jin saw that movement and protectively stood in front of Sam. Melinda made her way over to the group, unaware of the fact that all the boys in the room were staring at her with gaping mouths.

"Sam!" Melinda said, her voice lilting, "a few of the girls told me to come over here and tell you what an amazing job you did in the first round".

"Oh, thanks," Sam said, feeling as though she was going to throw up. Though it was nice to hear that she had done a good job; it wasn't so nice to hear it from a group of fan girls.

"Who knew that you had such a dazzling smile," Melinda continued. Jin frowned deeply at the girl.

"Hey, who gave you permission to come back here in the first place?" he demanded angrily, "did you just come here to pester Sam?" Melinda turned and glared at him.

"Why are you trying to get in my way, Lion boy?" she asked sharply. Jin gaped at her comment.

"Lion boy?" he asked indignantly, getting closer to the girl.

"Yes—look at your hair, dyed gold and cut in a way that it looks as though you have a lion mane growing out of your head!" Melinda stated angrily, standing on tiptoes and looking Jin straight in the eye. Jin gave off a rueful laugh.

"Can't you see my hair is electrifying? Electrifying!" he demanded. He turned to the girl and flipped his hair as he had done to Sam earlier.

"Don't make me throw up with your disgusting movements," Melinda said hotly.

"Such hateful words coming out of someone who looks like a five year old," Jin said, narrowing his eyes and getting even closer to the girl.

"Five year old?" Melinda cried out in shock.

"Look at yourself, with your little girl face and your twig-like body! Are you even a girl?" Jin asked, smiling. Sam looked on the scene in wonder. Melinda and Jin were now scant inches apart from one other, murder written in their eyes. She was afraid that they would kill each other soon if something wasn't done. Suddenly, President Janice burst into the room.

"Okay everybody, time for the second round to begin!" she said, smiling, "everybody get everything you need for your talents!"

"Come on, Jin," Sam said quickly, pulling the boy away from Melinda, "we need to get ready for the second round."

"Good luck with your talent then," Melinda said to Sam before turning to Jin, "and I will deal with you later, Lion Boy".

"I will be looking forward to it, Twig Girl," Jin shot back icily. Melinda left in a huff and Sam breathed out a sigh of relief. Jin mumbled angrily to himself the whole time they were waiting for the other contestants to do their talents.

"I have a feeling Dorm 3 is going to win this one," Patrick said, warily eying the Dorm 3 boys. Oscar was practicing some type of opera. Sam had to admit that while he was slightly crazy, the boy was actually quite talented.

"What are you doing for your talent?" Killian asked Sam. The girl looked up at him wickedly.

"Well I don't really have any sort of special talent," Sam said, grinning, "but I do have one thing I am pretty good at".

"What?" Killian asked, genuinely interested now.

"Lying," Sam stated frankly. Killian let out a surprised laugh.

"I don't really see how lying can be considered a talent," he said, grinning. Sam shrugged her slight shoulders.

"Lying makes a person a pretty good storyteller," she said, "I am just going to weave a tale for everybody—like my grandmother did for me and my brother when we were younger."

"Unusual talent," Killian said, "but I suppose you could pull it off".

"Well, I have to," Sam said, "it really is the only talent that I have".

Sam waited nervously until President Janice called out her name. She sighed and walked out to face the audience once again. Jin had gone right before her, and he had dribbled six soccer balls all at once. It would be a hard act to follow. Slowly, she made her way to the front of the stage and grabbed a microphone.

She looked up to where Artemis was sitting, making sure he was still there. The boy was leaning back in his seat, surveying the stage. Then, as though he could somehow sense her nervousness, he leaned forward and looked straight at her. And though it was dark in the audience, Sam could swear she saw him smile at her. Sam smiled back and, with a new surge of confidence, started her story. The crowd reacted to it well, and when she finished, they gave her a loud round of applause.

Sam smiled and walked over to the Dorm 2 section. Patrick gave her an approving pat on the back.

But despite the effort, Dorm 3 still ended up wining the second round.

"As to be expected," Patrick said as they once again made their way back stage, "but Dorm 3 had no chance at winning the sports round. As long as we can beat Dorm 1 in the next round, then we will win."

"It will be hard to beat them at sports, though," Jin said, "they are the sports dorm after all".

"Have a little faith in your dorm!" Patrick said angrily, "I didn't pick all of you just because you are good looking! You are captain of the soccer team; Sam holds the school record for the 100-meter. My roommate is the captain of the track team,"

"What does your roommate being a sports captain have to do with you?" Killian interjected. Patrick chose to ignore him.

"What I am saying is that, we need to win this round because if we do not win I will lose my hair, and if I lose my hair I will have to be forced to kill every one of you," Patrick said darkly. Sam and Jin both shuddered a little bit.

"Oh stop being so extreme," Killian said, "you're scaring our two little babies."

"Who are you calling a baby?" Jin asked, glaring up at Killian, "you are acting as bad as that blonde she-devil".

"I actually though Melinda was rather cute," Killian said, shrugging. Patrick nodded in agreement.

"If you are into the obnoxious twiggy type, I suppose," Jin said, frowning at the thought of the SC girl.

Suddenly President Janice walked into the room. She smiled up at the boys.

"Alright, since we are running out of time a bit, we will make this round a little different," she said, "instead of each boy competing individually, you will each send one of your contestants to represent your dorm in the next round. The three boys you pick will go head to head against each other in a sports showdown. Choose wisely!"

And with that, the president left. The boys all stared at one another.

"I'll go," Jin said immediately. Patrick looked up at him, frowning.

"I am the captain of the soccer team," Jin continued, "and a star on the track team. Plus, this challenge will help me showcase my manliness and power to Sam."

"What?" Sam asked weakly. Jin turned towards her.

"Sam, I will win this challenge for you!" he declared boldly.

"Win this challenge for me, you idiot!" Patrick cried, "Win it so that I can keep my hair."

"Oh fine, that too," Jin said, waving away Patrick's comments. The Dorm Leader sighed.

"I don't like this idea too much, but I suppose you are the person most suited to do a sports competition, " he said, "but mark my words—if you mess this one up and don't win I will make sure that your life becomes a living hell".

"Hollow threats," Jin said, "what can you do to me?"

"Don't push my Jin," Patrick said, "just get out there and win!"

"Alright boys, let's go!" President Janice said, peeking her head backstage. Jin turned towards Sam and grabbed her hand.

"I will win this as a sign of our strong and eternal love," he said. Sam just nodded awkwardly, not quite knowing what to say.

"Alright, go already," Patrick said, pushing the boy onto the stage, "I swear every since he declared he was gay, he's been acting more like a nutjob".

"Do you think he can win?" Sam asked, nervously.

"Let's hope so," Killian whispered back, "or else all of our plans would be ruined. The three of them huddled backstage, too nervous or afraid to even peak out the curtain. They could hear President Janice's muffled voice from the other side.

Sam looked over at Patrick. The boy was staring at himself in the mirror, gently touching his hair.

"This might be the last time I ever see you," he whispered to his precious locks.

"Oh please," Killian cried, slapping the mirror away from him, "you're acting as though hair doesn't grow back!"

"You don't understand," Patrick growled, "some boys are good at sports; others excel at academics. I have my looks. Do you think any of my girlfriends would want to be seen with me if I am bald?"

"Girlfriends? Plural?" Sam asked. Patrick nodded his head.

"How could you expect someone as good looking as me to only have one girlfriend at a time?" he asked, "but if my hair is gone… it will be the end of me. That would be so wrong!"

"I think you're grasp on what's right and wrong is a little out of whack," Killian said bluntly. Patrick just ignored the boy and picked up the mirror once more, looking sadly at his hair.

Sam turned to Killian.

"Do you think Jin will be able to do it?" she whispered to him. Killian shrugged.

"I suppose he has a better chance of winning than any of us," he said, "plus since he seems to be playing for your heart, I think he really will try the hardest he can."

"You're right," Sam said, sighing. Though she was flattered that Jin cared so deeply about her, truthfully, she wished that it were another boy out there fighting to win her love. A certain black-haired, blue-eyes genius boy.

"You should just tell him," Killian said suddenly. Sam looked up at him, confused.

"Artemis," Killian continued, "you should just tell him that you like him".

"What are you talking about?" she said, frowning, "I'm not gay"

"I don't see how a girl liking a boy is considered gay," Killian whispered. Sam immediately looked around her, eyes wide. Thankfully, everybody was too nervous to be paying any attention to Killian's words.

"You can't just go saying those things in public!" she whispered harshly to him.

"I just tell it like it is," Killian said. Sam frowned. She knew that Killian, being a vamp, had a sharper intuition than most, which was probably how he found out that she was a girl in the first place.

"Do you really think I should tell him?" she asked. Killian just leaned back. It was obvious that Sam and Artemis loved each other. How could they be so blind to each other's feelings?

"How about this," Killian said, "if we win the competition you go and tell him exactly how you feel. If we don't win, then you don't tell him" Sam just sat there, thinking about the boy's words. She knew that she had to tell Artemis eventually, and she wanted to tell him before she lost him for good. But the way it was looking right now, seeing how distant he had become, if she didn't tell him soon then he would be lost.

"Fine," she said. Suddenly Jin burst into the room. Everybody looked up at him. His face was impassive, which as a first for the usually expressive boy.

"You lost," Patrick said, gasping, "you wouldn't be making that face if you won. You lost!"

"You really lost?" Sam asked, feeling a pit growing in her stomach. Not only had they lost their winter break, she might have also lost Artemis.

Suddenly Jin's face broke out into a huge smile. Sam felt the joy rise up in her.

"**I WON!**" Jin cried out. Patrick burst into tears and Sam ran up and hugged the boy. Killian slowly walked up and patted Jin on the back.

"Good job," he said. Jin hugged Sam back and started to tell the tale of how he totally clobbered the other two boys in the sports round.

"… and then I stole the ball when Mike wasn't looking and make the last basket. You should have seen the look on Melinda's face when I won! She looked murderous. It was incredible! " he gushed.

"Celebration now!" Patrick said suddenly, "fourth floor of Dorm 2"

"Of course," Jin said, grabbing Sam, "come on, let's go!"

"Sam has to go visit Dr. Murray first," Killian said, "she forgot to pick something up."

"Oh, well you will be joining the celebration afterwards, right?" Jin asked. Sam nodded. Patrick and Jin made their way out of the room, giddy about the win.

"He's probably back in the library right now," Killian said, clasping the girl on the shoulder, "good luck."

Sam nodded her head resolutely and made her way out of the room. This was it. This was her chance to get Artemis back before it was too late.

"Oh I hope it's not too late," she whispered as she started to run towards the library.

* * *

Sam walked into the library building and started looking around the stacks until she spotted Artemis sitting by himself at one of the tables. She slowly walked towards him, noting with amazement at how much the boy had changed over the past two weeks.

Sam frowned deeply as she noticed that Artemis looked a bit too worn and tired. He had lost a bit of weight, making his already defined cheekbones and jaw line stand out even more. His hair was messy and fell over his bright blue eyes. Even though he looked worn, Sam couldn't help but feel like he looked even more handsome than usual.

"Artemis," she said softly. The boy looked up immediately, his eyes widening momentarily.

"Thank you for coming to the pageant today," she continued. Artemis just shrugged.

"I had to make sure that you didn't mess everything up. Simple as that." He said.

"Oh…" Sam whispered, not quite knowing what to say. Was it too late?

"What are you doing here now, shouldn't you be off celebrating with Jin and the rest of them?" he asked, looking around. Sam shuffled in her place a little.

"I was wondering if you were going to come and join us," she said. Artemis just looked at her, frowning. _What was the girl trying to do now? Shouldn't she have been ecstatic that Jin had won the pageant for her? Shouldn't that just make her love the boy more? Why was she here?_

"There are many plans to be made before winter break," he said, "I don't have time to go and celebrate right now."

"Then let me help you," Sam said, looking at the stack of books in front of the boy, "I am pretty good with plans".

"I don't need your help," Artemis said sharply, getting up and walking away. He suddenly felt Sam grab his arm. Turning back slowly, he saw the girl staring up at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears.

"I lied to you," she said softly. Artemis didn't say a word. His impassive face revealed nothing.

"I lied to you when I told you that I liked Jin," she continued, "I just said that so you wouldn't fall in love with me". Artemis almost groaned with relief at the girl's words. He had thought he had lost her forever. He looked at Sam and knew exactly what she was about to tell him.

"And that isn't all I lied to you about," she said, her voice shaking. Artemis wanted to go hold her and tell her that he already knew, tell her it didn't matter. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I am a girl," Sam blurted out, covering her face and turning away from Artemis, "I came to SB because I wanted to find you and see a fairy and I didn't know any other way to do so!"

Artemis just stood there, not saying a word, so Sam continued on.

"I was originally going to tell you I was a girl on our way to Wakkanai, but when the time came I couldn't. I realized…" she breathed deeply, "I realized that if I told you then I couldn't stay by your side anymore. And that is all I have ever wanted; just to stay by your side!"

And with that, Sam finished. She stood where she was, back turned to Artemis, the tears that she had held back the whole time finally flowing down. The boy still said nothing. _And why would he_, Sam though bitterly. She had just told him her secret. He was probably disgusted at her. He would kick her out of the room, out of the school, out of his life-- and she couldn't blame him for that.

_What have I done?_ Sam thought, the tears flowing down harder. She started to slowly walk away.

"Then stay," Artemis said quietly. Sam stopped in her tracks, breathing deeply. Artemis turned and looked at her—her tiny, quivering back.

"Stay by my side," he said softy. Sam turned around and looked at him, her face streaked with tears. _Was this some kind of sick joke that he was playing on her?_ She looked up at him and was a bit taken aback by the sincerity in his eyes. He wasn't joking.

Sam's face broke out into a hesitant smile and she ran over to the boy, embracing him tightly. Artemis looked down at his arms, which were still by his side. Slowly he lifted them up. This was it. If he embraced her now, he couldn't go back. He looked at his raised arms for a few seconds before bringing them closer and wrapping them around Sam. He sighed slightly, amazed by how right the situation felt.

"I knew all along," he whispered to her. Sam looked up at him, surprised.

"What?' she gasped. The boy just chuckled at her naiveté.

"Since the first week of school, I knew that you were a girl," he continued.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" she demanded, a grin spreading on her face.

"I didn't say anything at first because I wanted to know your motives for coming here; then I needed someone to meet Holly with me, so I didn't say anything…" he said.

"And then?" Sam asked, her grin growing into a full smile.

"And then I didn't say anything because… because of the same reason you didn't say anything," Artemis said, a bit surprised at this girl made him utter such cheesy, emotional words. Sam's eyes lit up. _He liked her! Even though she was a girl, even though she had lied to him, he liked her._

Sam suddenly rose up on her tiptoes and kissed the boy. Artemis's eyes went wide in shock, though he felt himself wanting to laugh. What a brash little girl he had on his hands! He held her closer to him and kissed her back. After a good minute, they broke the kiss and Sam rested her head against that boy's chest

"Hey Artemis," she said, looking up. The boy looked down at her, eyebrows raised.

"Let's not tell anyone else that I'm a girl, okay?" she said. Artemis just smiled and held her closer. Didn't she know that he would never tell? After all of this, she still didn't realize how important she was to him; how important it was for him to keep her by his side?

"If you insist," Artemis said lightly, resting his chin on the girl's head. The plans for the upcoming missions were not made; they had no course of action; they didn't even know for sure if Jin's father was Chairman Lai—but for the first time, Artemis didn't care about any of that. All he cared about right now was the girl in his arms. He finally had Sam, and he knew that he would never let her go again.

* * *

**A/N: Aww, Sam and Artemis!! I felt that it was finally time for them to be together; they have been avoiding their feelings for quite some time now!**

**Next chapter the actualy mission will start-- and there are quite a few more surprises and twists up ahead (including one major one that I am pretty excited about); so hopefully things won't get too boring for you guys! I anticipate there being 5 more chapters as of right now. I think 20 chapters is a nice length for a story. But I am not 100% sure on the decision yet. Let;s just see where we end up. **

** As always, please review and tell me what you thought of this chapter along with any suggestions you have for future chapters or any questions you have for me. **

**Till next time! Gracias y besos!!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Alright, so here is the next chapter. I know that I told you all that I was going to start the mission in this chapter-- but, unfortunately, I didn't get to it. Trust me, every part of this chapter is important to the mission somehow. And I did foreshadow a little at the end. But I do promise that next chapter will be the mission, plus a few large surprises. And if anything seems rushed in this chapter, trust me, I will expand on it all in the coming chapters!!**

**haha, alright, I have written a bit too much for one A/N. Hope you enjoy this chapter!!**

* * *

** Why, Why love**

**Chapter 16**

Sam hadn't really known what would have happened after the day in the library; but she definitely didn't expect for everything do just go back the way that they had been before. Artemis wasn't avoiding her and Jin anymore, but he wasn't treating her any different than he always had.

"I don't get it," Sam asked, falling down on Killian's bed. As of late, Sam found that Killian was the only person that she could talk to about her problems.

"What is there not to get?" Killian asked, sitting down on the floor next to his bunk.

"It's been two weeks since I confessed to Artemis and…well, he's not treating me any different at all", Sam said looking down at him.

"What did you expect to happen?" Killian asked, "Surely you weren't planning on becoming the new golden couple of SB? You know that the two of you have to keep your relationship mum".

"That's it!" Sam said, getting up, "we don't even have a relationship! I mean, I never expected for us to hold hands and be lovey dovey towards each other all the time; but it would at least be nice of him to acknowledge the fact that he cares about me".

"Well, he actually talks to you in full sentences," Killian said, shrugging, "I suppose that is his way of showing that he cares."

"What? How in the world can he think that would be enough?" Sam asked, "isn't he a genius, shouldn't he know about these kind of things?"

"Please, Artemis could write a whole book on interpersonal relationships; but when it comes to his own relationships, he is hopeless. Tis the curse of a genius, I suppose," Killian answered.

"You're a genius, though," Sam said, looking up at him, "how come you aren't a complete loser when it comes to relationships? You aren't even human and you have better sense than that boy!"

"It is because I have spent my whole life observing human interactions," Killian said. He padded over to the fridge and opened it. Sam sighed and leaned back against the headboard of the bed. This whole business with Artemis really was getting annoying.

Killian walked back over to the bed and threw a can in Sam's direction. Sam caught the can and looked at it. It was beer.

"What in the world is this for?" she asked.

"Just get Artemis drunk," Killian said. He had heard all about the boy's reputation. "That should spice up your relationship for you."

"Killian, how desperate do you think I am?" Sam asked, tossing the can back to the boy.

"Well, I don't know. I just wanted to help you get over all of your relationship troubles so that you can focus on what's really important," Killian said.

"Really important?" Sam asked. The vamp sighed deeply.

"The mission! Have you forgotten the whole reason I came here? Seriously, sometimes I think you couldn't get any slower," Killian said. Sam frowned.

"You might have studied humans your whole life," she said, "but you still don't seem to have learned anything about tact".

"And you've been in school your whole life yet you still seem to lack a brain," Killian retorted, "we need to get prepared for winter break—it is next week!"

"Next week!" Sam cried, sitting up quickly, "is it really next week?"

"How can you not be keeping track of these things?" Killian groaned, looking down at the girl. Sam shrugged her shoulders.

"I've been distracted," she answered, "what with Artemis being distant and Jin always complaining about Melinda…"

"Well stop being distracted," Killian said curtly, "do you understand how prepared we need to be to go up against someone like Chairman Lai? Have you even read on Taiwan or Chinese business yet?"

"No," Sam mumbled, "I already told you I have been distracted". Killian grabbed the small girl.

"We're going to the library right now," he muttered, dragging her down the hallway

* * *

Meanwhile, Artemis was in his room, busy preparing all the plans for the upcoming break. He turned his head slightly towards Jin, who was bouncing his soccer ball against the wall in a steady pattern.

"I am trying to concentrate," the boy said. Jin caught the ball.

"I am just trying to relieve some stress," Jin said, "that she-devil Melinda came to our campus today to…"

"I really could care less," Artemis said, looking back down at his papers, glad that the incessant dribbling had stopped.

"Well I have nobody to complain to," Jin continued on, seemingly oblivious to Artemis's tense mood. Artemis sighed deeply. Jin was like a male form of Sam but without any of her endearing qualities.

"Why don't you just go complain to Sam then," Artemis said, "isn't he your best friend? I am sure he will ne able to stomach your drivel"

"Sam is with Killian again," Jin said, his voice tinged with jealousy, "he had been spending all his free time with him, it seems."

"Killian?" Artemis said, looking up, frowning slightly. What was Sam doing spending all of her time with him? What was that vamp trying to do now?

"You can't tell me that you haven't noticed," Jin asked, giving Artemis an exasperated look.

"Notice what?" Artemis asked, turning around and looking at Jin.

"The fact that Sam and Killian have been attached at the hip since the pageant," Jin answered, "gossiping like old women all the time when they are together, it is disgusting. But then again, I am not surprised that you haven't noticed."

"Why wouldn't you be surprised?" Artemis asked, "I would like to think that I knew about the whereabouts of my roommate".

"Oh please," Jin said, shaking his head, "it is obvious that you don't care about Sam. You spend more time with your books that with him. I mean, you don't treat him like anything special. I don't even know why I considered you to be my love rival…"

Artemis droned out the rest of Jin's babbling, turning back towards his desk. It was obvious that he didn't care about Sam? Did that girl really believe that he didn't care about her?

Artemis immediately closed his book and got up. He grabbed his sweater and walked out of the room, leaving a very confused Jin in his wake.

Jin frowned as Artemis left the room such a hurry. _Where is that boy off to now?_ Jin wondered, confused. It seemed that lately Artemis was in an odder mood than usual. Sighing, Jin climbed onto his sofa and rested his chin against the windowsill. His thoughts filtered back to the fight he had earlier with Melinda.

Subconsciously, Jin chuckled a little at the thought of the little spitfire who had sparred with him so fiercely. He couldn't help but smile at the recollection of how livid she had been; how bright her blue eyes got; how red her cheeks became when she got angry. _She is actually rather pretty when angry_, he thought lightly.

Suddenly, Jin's eyes opened wide.

"Wait! What am I thinking?" he said out loud, "how can be thinking these thoughts when I am chasing Sam?"

Jin buried his head in his hands, groaning loudly. He had just accepted the fact that he was gay and that he was in love with Sam. How could he think that a girl was attractive? Especially if that girl was Melinda. She was his sworn enemy; a bitter, nasty tempered enemy.

"Jin get a hold of yourself," he said, shaking his head, "you love Sam, and only Sam."

* * *

Sam, however found herself being sucked into the romance problems between Melinda and Jin as well. In fact, as Killian was forcibly dragging her to the library she happened to run (literally) into Melinda.

"Ouch! Killian watch where you are dragging me!" Sam cried out as she unwillingly collided with the pretty blonde. Killian turned around and gave Melinda a sheepish smile, immediately letting go of Sam.

"Very sorry," Killian said Melinda.

"I am the one you should be apologizing to!" Sam cried, hitting the vamp hard on the shoulder.

"No problem," Melinda said, formally, "I actually came here to look for Sam".

"For Sam?" Killian asked, confused, "what business would you have with him?"

"It…it is rather personal, if you don't mind," Melinda said quickly. Killian's eyebrows shot up at the remark.

"Sam is already involved in a relationship," he said. Sam frowned at the vamp's words.

"I am not," she said bitterly. A relationship meant that both parties liked each other equally. And while Artemis had said that he wanted her to stay with him, none of his actions matched his words.

"Oh, I don't want to ask Sam to date me," Melinda said quickly, "I just needed to talk to him."

"Well in that case, I will let the two of you have a littler girl talk," Killian said. Melinda looked up questioningly at Killian while Sam cast him a murderous look.

"Girl talk?" Melinda asked. Killian grinned down at Sam, who looked as though she would have stabbed the vamp had there been anything sharp in sight.

"Sorry," Killian said smoothly, "it is just that Sam is so much like a girl in looks and temperament that sometimes I forget that he is a boy".

"Alright, Killian," Sam said, pushing the vamp away, "how about you get away from here before you cause even more harm or embarrassment, okay?"

"Fine, fine," Killian answered, "I will be waiting in the library for you, okay?"

"Alright," Sam said, shaking her head and turning back to Melinda, "please forgive Killian. He really has no tact at all. He just says whatever comes to his mind."

"It's fine," Melinda said, nervously playing with the hem of her skirt. Sam frowned slightly, wondering what was causing the girl's odd behavior.

"Is everything okay, Melinda?" Sam asked. She didn't like seeing such a beautiful girl in such a worried state.

"I think I have a problem," Melinda said. Sam nodded her head, urging the girl to expand on her statement.

"I have been chasing after Artemis for three years now," Melinda said, "I have tried everything to get him to notice me. And even though he ignores me all the time and has been nothing but cold towards me, I can't help but love him."

Sam, though she was a bit angry with Artemis, couldn't help but feel a flair of jealously at the girl's words. Melinda, with her caramel curls and captivating blue eyes, was the most beautiful girl that she had ever seen. Plus, Melinda was quite sophisticated and usually had a very gentle temper when Jin wasn't around. _How could I possibly compete with a perfect girl like her_, Sam though bitterly.

"So your problem is that you love Artemis and he doesn't love you back?" Sam asked.

"Maybe," Melinda said. Sam frowned at the girl's answer.

"Maybe?' she echoed. Melinda turned towards Sam and pinned her with her sparkling eyes.

"Is it possible to be in love with two people at once?" Melinda asked. Sam's eyes widened a little, a bit taken aback by the girl's words.

"Two people?" Sam asked, "who else are you in love with?"

Melinda turned away, frowning. The girl looked as though she was in a deep turmoil over her thoughts. Her winged eyebrows arched together and her lips were pursed, as though she didn't want to say the name other second love. Sam looked at the tormented girl and immediately knew who it was. It seemed as though a bitter hatred had blossomed into a sort of love.

"It's Jin, isn't it?" Sam asked. Melinda's head snapped towards her.

"How would you know that?" she demanded, "guys are never that intuitive".

"It was just a guess," Sam said, making up an excuse quickly, "Jin is my best friend. I know that it is hard for any girl not to fall for him".

"Jin is overemotional and aggressive," Melinda said, "but…"

"He is rather lovable," Sam said, shaking her head and smiling over the thought of the amusing boy. Sam knew better than anybody else that nobody could stay mad at Jin for long. Even though Melinda and Jin had been at each other's throats since the pageant, she had seen the passion in their eyes whenever they argued with each other. Even Patrick had commented that the attraction between the two of the two of them was so thick that it couldn't even be cut with a knife.

"But I don't know if I like Artemis or Jin," Melinda said, "I came to you because they are both your roommates and your best friends. You should know them better than anyone else".

Sam looked at Melinda, wanting to tell to chase after Jin, just because she didn't want the beautiful girl to be going after Artemis anymore. But she just couldn't bring herself to do it. After all, it wasn't as though Artemis cared about her. Why should she care about him?

"Go after whoever you have greater feelings for," Sam said quietly. Melinda frowned and turned around, gasping suddenly. Sam looked up, confused at to the reason why Melinda had gasped.

Sam saw that Melinda's eyes were open wide and that she was staring at something. She followed the girl's eyes and saw Artemis walking down a path near them. The boy looked up and saw the two girls standing there. For some reason, Sam thought that he looked relieved when he saw her. _Why was he out here?_

Melinda turned towards Sam.

"I know what I am going to do," she whispered.

"What?" Sam asked. The girl smiled brightly.

"I am going to go and tell Artemis that I love him," she said. Sam gaped at the girl. That was an awful idea. _What is she steals Artemis away_, Sam thought quickly; _surely he wouldn't be able to resist the girl's gorgeous looks_. Especially compared to Sam's average appearance.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Sam asked, looking over Melinda's shoulder. Artemis was walking up to them.

"If I can say it and actually mean it then that means that I still have feelings for him" Melinda said, "but if I don't actually mean it then that means that I should go after Jin".

"Melinda, wait…" Sam cried; but it was too late. The girl had already made her way over to Artemis, who was standing about three feet away. Sam breathed hard and looked away.

"Artemis," Melinda said, "I like you. Please go out with me".

Sam balked a little at the girl's straightforward confession. Artemis just looked down at Melinda.

"I am sorry," Artemis said quietly, "I am already in a relationship".

Sam looked up suddenly at the boy's words. He was in a relationship? Did he really mean it?

Melinda just looked at him for a moment, before breaking out into a smile. Artemis was a bit taken aback by the girl's reaction. Had she gone mad?

Melinda turned towards Sam, who was still gaping at Artemis.

"Sam, I said it but I didn't mean it," Melinda said. Sam broke out into a weak smile.

"So you know what to do now?" she asked the girl. Melinda nodded her head happily. Sam's smile grew a little stronger. She could tell that Melinda really did care about Jin, and she was glad. Jin deserved someone like Melinda. Someone beautiful and sophisticated, and most importantly, somebody that would be able to love him back.

"Good luck, then," Sam said to Melinda. The girl nodded once again.

"Now if you would excuse me," Melinda said to the two teens, "I have some planning to do before I tell Jin".

"Of course," Sam said. Melinda waved bye and walked off, leaving Sam and Artemis by themselves.

The two teens looked at each other awkwardly. Sam shuffled her feet a little and Artemis looked down at the ground.

"I came out to look for you," Artemis said finally. Sam continued to look at her feet.

"Why?" she asked. The boy frowned a little bit.

"I noticed that you hadn't been around very often lately," he said. Sam looked up at him, frowning.

"Did you really notice that or did Jin have to point it out to you?" she asked. Artemis said nothing, and his silence was answer enough for her. Sam scoffed, walking up to the boy.

"Why did you even tell Melinda that you were in a relationship?" she asked him, "that is an obvious lie!"

"How is that a lie?" Artemis asked, looking up at her. Sam gave off a bitter laugh.

"How is it not a lie, Artemis?" she asked, "Do you even know what being in a relationship means? It means that you have to actually care about the person that you are with". Artemis sighed deeply.

"Can't you see I care about you?" Artemis asked. Sam looked at him through slitted eyes.

"No. " she answered bluntly, "I can't see that you care about me because you don't. You have barley said two words to me since the day of the pageant."

"I have been busy, there are plans to make," Artemis said.

"I know, Artemis," Sam said, "I care about the mission too. But I also care about you, and I am not afraid to show it. If you were planning on spending all your effort on yourself then you should have just let me go that day in the library".

Artemis looked at the girl, not knowing what to say. He had never really cared about anybody outside of his family before—and even with his parents, he never had to vocalize his feelings. He had never experienced a situation such as this.

"I envy Jin," Artemis said quietly. Sam just stood her ground, looking at the boy with raised eyebrows. Artemis envied Jin? That was impossible. Artemis hated Jin—there was no way that he could possibly envy him.

"I envy him because he can express his emotions," Artemis continued, "he knows what he is feeling as he knows how to show that to other people."

"It is not very hard to do," Sam said, "all he has to do is say 'I am sad' or 'I am happy'. It is not some sort of special skill"

"But the fact that he knows what he is feeling," Artemis said, "that is the thing that is enviable. I have never had to feel anything before—never had to feel anger or jealously or any other emotion. I had everything that I wanted, and if I didn't have it I relied on my genius to get it".

Sam looked at him, her frown lessening a little.

"But now with you, I found that I feel emotion only around you. Everything—anger, happiness, frustration, sadness, love. Only when you are around do I feel those things. And I never have felt them before, so I can't express them."

"Artemis…" Sam said, smiling slightly.

"And now look, you made me go and utter stupid, cheesy things once more," Artemis said sighing, "I don't know what about you makes me a flaming idiot".

"Artemis, why do you like me?" Sam asked. Artemis looked down at the small girl. That was the same question he had been asking himself for weeks. But now, looking at her large emerald eyes and hesitant smile he knew his answer. It was naiveté, her tenacity, her courage, her brashness. It was everything he wasn't.

"Because out of everything in the world, I can do 95% of them," he said, "and the 5% that I can't do, you can".

Sam smiled widely, "What a strange and non-romantic answer," she said. Artemis let out a little chuckle at her words.

"Well I am a bit of a strange and non-romantic boy," Artemis said. Sam laughed and shook her head.

"Artemis, I am glad I found you," she whispered. Artemis just pulled the girl to him and hugged her. He was glad that she had come back to him.

* * *

Jin stared out the window, thinking hard.

_I like Sam, but I think I might also Melinda_, he thought, shaking his head. He had been thinking about it the whole day, and this was his final outcome. _This is so messed up, how can I be gay but also like a girl,_ he thought. He got up and started to pace the room.

What am I going to do?" he asked himself, "am I some kind of pervert, liking both Sam and Melinda at the same time?"

He growled a little and banged his head against the bunk, "I failed at being a normal boy, and now I am even failing at being gay. What good am I?"

_But it doesn't even matter_, Jin thought. _I can love Melinda all I want, but she still hates my guts. I am already involved in a unrequited love with Sam, I can't handle another one. So even though I do like Melinda—I can't put myself through this again. _Especially since, though he didn't want to admit it, he might actually like Melinda more. _With Sam, I like his cuteness and his kindness_, he thought. With Melinda it was different. She argued with him, she quarreled, she yelled-- but all the same, she brought out his passion and his emotions out more than anybody else had ever been able to. Jin felt that he was his true self around Melinda. And while Sam rejecting his feelings stung; he didn't think he would be able to deal with it if Melinda rejected him.

"I have to just stick with Sam, then," Jin said resolutely. He went to the bedside table and picked up his cell phone. Breathing deeply he dialed the number of his house.

His mother picked up on the second ring.

"Hello," a very formal voice said. Jin sighed deeply. His family was a very formal, very conservative one. His father was the most successful businessman in all of Taiwan. His mother was an infamous Korean heiress—the only child of one of the wealthiest men in Korea. In fact, the only reason why he had been sent to SB was because his father had felt that he wasn't manly enough and that spending time abroad with toughen him up.

"Hello, mother," Jin said.

"Oh Jin—darling, I have not heard from you some time," his mother said, her voice becoming more warm.

"I was just calling to talk to you about me coming home next week," he said.

"Of course. Your father and I are so happy that you will finally be back. We haven't seen you since the summer. And your younger brother is delighted to be seeing you again".

"You know I am bringing somebody, right?" Jin asked.

"Yes, your father told me that. Who are your bringing?" his mother asked. Jin closed his eyes and breathed deeply. This was it.

"I am bringing Sam," he said, "a classmate that I like".

"Oh, so he is one of your good friends?" his mother asked happily.

"No mother," Jin said tightly, "I like Sam"

"Like as in…"

"As in love, mother" Jin said. There was complete silence on the other end of the phone.

"You are bringing home a classmate that you love," his mother repeated finally, "… a male classmate?"

"I do go to an all boys school," Jin said. There was another long pause on the other end.

"Oh well… we will discuss it further when you get here," she said quickly.

"Mother, I… I am sorry" he said.

"Jin, don't… don't apologize. We will discuss this with your father when both of you come here," she said.

"Okay mother," Jin said, hanging up the phone, a pit growing in his stomach.

Just then, Sam and Artemis walked into the room. Jin looked up at them.

"Sam I just called my mother," he said. Sam looked at him and nodded.

"Okay, Jin," she said, not really knowing where this was going.

"I told her that I loved you,' Jin said. Sam stared at him, mouth open.

"Why would you do that?" Artemis asked. Jin groaned.

"Because I wanted to state it once and for all and get rid off all my conflicting feelings," Jin said.

"Conflicting feelings?" Artemis asked. Jin nodded his head.

"I am a monster and a pervert," he answered. Sam shook her head.

"I am sure you are not, Jin," she said. Jin looked up at her.

"Sam—I am in love with both you and Melinda," Jin said, near tears, "see how horrible I am? I declared that I was gay to chase you then I fell in love with Melinda!"

"If you are in love with Melinda then why did you go and tell your mother you love Sam?" Artemis demanded, "are you an idiot?"

"Because Melinda will never love me back," Jin said, "and I cannot stand to have unrequited love anymore! I thought it would be best for me to just stick with Sam. And this way, I can't go back".

"But Jin, Melinda does like you," Sam said, "she told me herself today".

Jin looked up at her, a large grin spreading on his face.

"Really?" he asked, "she really said that?"

"Yes," Sam said, her own smile growing on her face, "she was having conflicting feelings as well, but in the end she realized that she did like you".

"Then… then do I have your blessings to date her?" Jin asked. Sam laughed.

"Jin, there is nothing you can do that would make me happier," she said. Jin ran up and hugged the girl.

"Thank you, Sam," he said, "you were the best first love that I ever had". Sam just grinned at the boy.

"And I feel honored to have been your first love," she said. Jin shook his head.

"But does this mean that I am not gay anymore?" he asked.

"You were never gay, Jin," Sam said, "everybody says I look and act like a girl. You were probably attracted to the feminine side of me"

"Really, is that what it was?" Jin asked, skeptical. Sam nodded her head. She would tell Jin her secret, but not now. The boy already had enough on his plate to deal with at the moment.

"Go and get her," Sam whispered to Jin. The boy nodded his head and ran out of the room, smiling widely.

* * *

Sam stared after him, smiling widely. She went over and hugged Artemis.

"Isn't seeing that kind of love magical?" she asked dreamily. Artemis shook his head vigorously.

"In case you forgot, Jin still told his mother that he was gay and that he loved you," he said.

"Ah, we can just explain everything to his family when we get there," Sam said, "don't be so pessimistic."

But Artemis just frowned. He had a very, very bad feeling about this. He knew that Chairman Lai had sent Jin to SB in order to make him manlier. If he thought that Sam had turned his son gay, then the girl was in a whole world of trouble. And the man had already proved to be ruthless.

Artemis looked down at the tiny girl. He didn't know why, but he had a very foreboding feeling about this mission.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, I told you that there was going to be a bit of foreshadowing. Maybe not the most positive foreshadowing, but foreshadowing nevertheless. And I do promise once again that the mission will start next time. Especially since the story is coming to an end, and I already decided what to do when I finish this one-- but that will be revealed in the final chapter =)**

**Anyways, as always, please comment and tell me what you thought, if I made any mistakes, or if you have any suggestions. I always love reading your thoughts, and every single one of your reviews truly help. Gracias y besos **


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Alright, here is the next chapter! Sorry if it took a bit longer, spring semester has finally decided to get hard as all my professors schedule exams and essays in the same week. It makes me a bit nostalgic for my senior high school days. At least I am writing about Taiwan, so it takes me back to those more peaceful days =) Hope you all enjoy this chapter, though!**

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 17**

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In the week leading up to winter break—Jin and Melinda became the newest golden couple at both SB and SC, to everybody's surprise. After all, Jin was the overemotional and energetic captain of the football team and Melinda was the sophisticated and usually reserved class president. No one had ever expected them to become a couple, and overnight it seemed as though they had become sort of celebrities. All the students at both schools observed their every movement and the couple became the sole source of gossip.

"This relationship getting to be rather annoying," Artemis sighed as he closed the door to their bedroom in the face of an overeager second year boy wanting to get a glimpse of Jin.

"You aren't even the one who is being followed all of the time," Jin said, grumpily, "you would think that none of these people have ever been in a relationship before".

"Well you and Melinda's relationship is a bit unique," Sam said as she unsuccessfully tried to read a tourism book on Taiwan "so it naturally strikes everyone's curiosity".

"How is it unique?" Jin asked, "it's not like it's something incredible special or weird— like if you and Artemis decided to start dating or something"

Sam blushed furiously at the boy's words and proceeded to bury her face in her book so that Jin wouldn't see anything.

"It's not the fact that the relationship is unique, it is the fact that nobody expected you to end up with Melinda," Artemis said coolly.

"What do you mean by that?" Jin demanded.

"What I mean is that Melinda was obviously quite out of your league," Artemis answered. Jin scowled at him.

"Since when have you started to care about school gossip anyway?" he asked, "I liked it better when you just stuck to yourself"

"As did I," Artemis retorted, "but since you are my roommate, I seem to have gotten drug into this mess as well".

Sam leaned on the side of Jin's couch and sighed a little, putting down her book. Jin looked down at her.

"What's the matter, Sam?" he asked, ruffling the girl's hair.

"Since Melinda is your girlfriend now, are you going to take her to Taiwan instead?" Sam asked, looking up at Jin. Artemis looked at the boy as well—this was a possibility that he himself had been thinking of. Jin smiled slightly

"Sam, Melinda might be my girlfriend, but you are still my best friend," he said, "there is no one I would rather take to Taiwan with me"

Sam smiled, pleased at the answer, and picked up her book once more.

"Hey Jin, can we go to the Shilin Night market when we are there? The book says that it is the biggest of its kind in all of Taiwan!" she asked excitedly.

Artemis shook his head slightly at the scene in front of him. Did the girl think that she was going just to have a fun vacation? Artemis wondered if Sam fully understood the seriousness of the mission. If Jin's father actually found Haven and revealed the existence of faeries, everybody would be in danger.

Artemis turned around and looked at Sam, who was eagerly flipping through the pages of her book with Jin.

_I wonder if this girl really knows how important she is to this mission?_ He wondered, looking back down at his plans.

* * *

Finally, the day that Sam and Jin would be heading to Taiwan arrived. Sam woke up extremely early that morning, too nervous to really get any good sleep.

She sat up in her bed and looked over the side of her bunk. Jin was still sleeping like a baby. Sam smiled and leaned back against the wall. This situation reminded her exactly of the morning of the pageant. She had been too nervous to sleep; yet Jin slumbered on as though he had no care in the world. Though, in this case, it did make sense. Jin didn't know the gravity of this trip. He was just expecting to have a fun winter break.

"I wish I could be like that," Sam whispered to herself. She sighed deeply.

"Sam?"

Sam's thoughts were interrupted by a voice from down below. Sam scooted over to the front of her bunk and looked down. Artemis was standing next to his bed, looking up. He smiled ever so slightly when he saw the large pair of emerald eyes peak down at him.

"What are you doing up so early?" Sam whispered.

"I always get up this early," Artemis answered, "plus, I had to go over the plan one more time". Sam frowned.

"You keep talking about this plan, but you haven't told me anything about it," she said, "every part about this trip is worrying me!" Sam groaned and fell back down on the bed.

Artemis stood where he was, looking up at the space where Sam's eyes had been peaking out at him seconds before. Up until then, he had assumed that Sam hadn't given a second thought to the mission at hand. Silently, he berated himself for not trusting in her more.

Slowly, Artemis climbed up the ladder rungs and sat on the other end of Sam's bed. He looked at the girl, who had buried herself underneath her blankets and smiled. He reached out and pulled the blankets from over her, noting once again the bright, obnoxious yellow of the fabric. It was an annoying color—true. But it was also undoubtedly cheerful. It fit Sam well.

Sam sat up and looked at the boy, head cocked to the side, floppy golden brown hair in her eyes.

"Tell me what you are worrying about," Artemis said. Normally. He wouldn't care about such minute, trivial things. Emotions, especially the emotions of other people, were messy and Artemis avoided them like the plague. But this was Sam, and no matter what it was, if it mattered to her then he would care about it as well.

"First of all, I am going to with Jin to meet his parents—who still think that I turned their son gay. And while this is happening, I am not only supposed to somehow find a way to prove that Jin's dad, one of the most powerful men in Asia, is trying to exploit the fairies but I am also supposed to stop him. And on top of all of that—this will only be the third time that I have ever flown and I am afraid of planes, especially after Mulch piloted one!"

And with that, Sam breathed deeply. She normally wasn't one to unload on or rant to people, but this situation was really the worst that she had ever faced.

Artemis looked at the girl, raising a single eyebrow as she started to spew off her list of worries. Slowly he moved closer to her.

"Sam," he said softly, "you are telling me that you are scared by this mission?'

"Terrified" she answered, truthfully. Artemis gave her a little smile.

"This is coming from a girl who left home, traveled halfway across the globe, enrolled in an all-boys school, and had been dressing and acting like a male ever since," he said, "how could you let a mission frighten you so much?"

"It was more insanity than courage that led me to come here," Sam mumbled. Artemis let out a rare laugh and wrapped an arm around the girl's slight shoulders, in the process, sticking a tracking device behind her right ear without her noticing.

"All you have to do for now is board the plane with Jin and meet his family. Killian and I will follow you on the leer and we'll give you further instructions when we get to Taiwan," Artemis said.

"So you plan on keeping me in the dark until then?" Sam asked, frowning even more. Artemis looked down at her. He had meant his words to be reassuring, not insulting. But then again, he had never really comforted nor reassured anybody before—and even though he was a genius, there were something's that one just needed experience in to get right.

"It is much safer if we all just know our individual parts in the grand plan," Artemis said, "that way we lessen the risk of confusion".

"You can trust me," Sam said softly. It wasn't as though she would mess up everything if she knew all of the plans.

"And you can trust me as well," Artemis said, "you should know that everything I do is to make sure that you will be safe".

'I know," Sam said, leaning against him, "I am just a little worried. I wish that you and Killian could come on the plane with me".

"We'll be right behind you, Sam," Artemis said. Sam knew that everything would be fine, but for some reason she had a pit in her stomach. It really wasn't like her to be this nervous or cowardly—so it was worrying her a little bit.

"But what if something happens before you arrive in Taiwan? Killian said that Chairman Lai is a ruthless man," Sam asked, looking up at Artemis. The boy looked down at her and smiled, something he only did around her.

"Luckily for you, you have a smart boyfriend," he said, "no matter what happens, I will always be able to find you"

Sam couldn't help but smile at his comment. She rested her head on his chest once more. This was the first time that he had referred to himself as her boyfriend. And even though she was still nervous, she couldn't help but feel a bit safer at hearing his words. She did have a smart boyfriend, the smartest- one that wouldn't let anything happen to her.

"Plus, it isn't as though you are a helpless little girl," Artemis continued, "you are rather athletic and have a swift pair of legs, do you not? I am sure you could run away from any trouble you are in."

Sam just shook her head and laughed. Artemis's way of comforting a person was strange, true—but it was completely him, and the girl couldn't help but love it.

* * *

So when Sam boarded the plane with Jin hours later, she felt more at ease than she had the whole week. Jin was chattering away as usual, talking about all the places that he would take Sam to go see. Sam looked out the window, wondering what she could do to make sure that she was completely prepared. She knew that Artemis had made the plans, but she wanted to make sure she was as prepared as she possibly could be.

Sam turned to Jin, who was now talking about his old middle school.

"Jin, tell me about your family," Sam said. She was surprised that she hadn't thought to ask the boy about his family beforehand. After all, everything she was going to do in Taiwan centered around his father.

"My family?" Jin asked, confused.

"Yes," Sam said, "after all, I am going to spending the whole break with them, I would like to know something about them"

"I suppose," Jin said, "well… I live Taipei with my family. My mother is actually from Korea—she used to be the most famous actress there, but she quite acting once she had me."

Sam nodded her head; she could imagine Jin's mother being a glamorous movie star. The boy had to get his good looks from somewhere, after all.

"My younger brother still lives at home," Jin continued. Sam's eyes widened.

"You have a younger brother?" she asked, surprised. Jin had never mentioned the fact that he had any siblings—and with his over-the-top personality, Sam had always assumed that he had been an only child.

"Yes," Jin said, "Zheng—he's 15, and goes to a high school in Taiwan."

"Ah," Sam said, "well what about your other family members?"

"Other?" Jin asked, scrunching his eyebrows, "Ah! Yes. There is Mei Mei. She's our dog, we've had her for about three years and she is the most adorable thing. You are going to love her, she is great with strangers and she…"

"What about your father?" Sam asked, interrupting Jin's tirade about his dog, "does he not live with you?"

"Oh him." Jin said, his face darkening a little, "he does live with us, but he is a business man so he spends most f his times overseas. We rarely get to see him, which actually isn't too bad of a thing"

"Jin! Don't you think that is a little harsh? He is your father after all" Sam said. Jin shook his head quickly.

"That doesn't mean I don't love him or something like that. It's just that every time I see him, he always liked to remind me that I will have to take over his business one day, even though he knows that I don't want to," Jin said.

"Why don't you want to?" Sam asked.

"Because I want to be a world famous soccer player!" Jin said, "It is my dream to go to the World Cup!"

"Oh, is that it," Sam said, hoping that she could have gotten more information about Chairman Lai.

"Well…" Jin started. Sam looked up at him, anxiously. Jin leaned in closer to her.

"I don't think that my father's business is completely legal" Jin whispered. Sam's eyes grew wide.

"Why would you think that?" she whispered back to him.

"I don't know," Jin answered, "it's just that father is very secretive with his work. A lot of the time he won't tell us where he is traveling or what he is doing. It is a little suspicious. All I know is that I don't want to be involved in that kind of business".

And with that, the boy backed away and slumped down in his seat, frowning deeply, his eyes darkened. Sam looked at Jin in wonder.

_Even the always cheerful Jin becomes distraught what he talks about Chairman Lai_, Sam thought to herself, her nervousness crawling back up, _how evil could this man be?_

_

* * *

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Meanwhile, Artemis and Killian sat in Artemis's Leer, as Butler piloted the jet right behind the plane that Sam and Jin were flying in.

"Butler, do you still have Sam's plane in sight?" Artemis called out. Butler smiled from the cockpit.

"I haven't lost sight of it since you asked me five minutes ago," the name answered. Butler thought it was amusing to see Artemis act like an eager, nervous five-ear old. Normally, the boy was completely detached from everything—so seeing his teenage boss actually show emotion was quite a new experience.

"I am actually surprised that you didn't book a ticket on Sam's flight," Killian said, looking out the window with a grin.

"I am not a fool," Artemis said, "how could I possibly book a ticket on that flight? The possibility of Jin seeing me would be high".

"But the possibility of saving Sam in case something happens would also be high." Killian said, continuing to look out the window.

"What could happen to her?" Artemis asked, quickly, "we are following right behind her."

"If you are not nervous then why did you plant a tracking device on her?" Killian asked. Artemis looked up at him quickly.

"How did you know about that?" he asked. Killian laughed deeply.

"In case you forgot, genius boy," Killian said, turning towards Artemis, "I am pretty intelligent myself. Pretty perceptive, as well. The GPS tracker you have is pretty cleverly disguised as a cell phone, but I have seen you use your phone before and I know for sure that it looked different. Plus, I knew that you wouldn't let Sam go of by herself with knowing where she was at all times. You care too much about her to do that".

"Whatever goes on between Sam and I is personal," Artemis said coolly, "I do not mix emotions with work. The tracking device is merely there to ensure the mission stays on schedule. If Sam is taken away or if she decides to wander off somewhere, then it would put the mission in jeopardy"

Killian snickered at the boy's statement.

"If you say so, genius boy," Killian said, "though I don't think I have ever heard you say this much to me ever. Why are you suddenly so defensive?"

"I am simply explaining myself to you," Artemis said, his voice and face as reserved as it always was when he wasn't around Sam.

"Or is it because you are just too worried that something will happen to your precious Sam and are trying to reassure yourself?" Killian asked, "After all, this is a dangerous mission. What would you do if something happened to her?"

Artemis' fist clenched a bit at his side. Though he would never say it, the vamp had hit the nail right on its head. Artemis was a cool, detached boy—he never felt any emotions, especially nervousness. But when it came to Sam, he couldn't help but worry. Killian's question had been exactly right—what if something happened to Sam? What would he do? Artemis couldn't even think of the possibility.

"I wonder if she knows how much she means to you?" Killian asked, once again looking out the window, The interactions between humans were quite fun to witness…

* * *

"Foaly, I left in the middle of a meeting and will have to suffer the wrath of Root when I get back; so whatever you called me here for better be important!"

The eccentric centaur looked behind him to see Holly standing there, hands on her hips. He spun back to his computer and pointed at the screen. Holly looked over at it, seeing that it showed some kind of Mud Man map. There was a red blinking dot slowly moving over Ireland.

"What is that?" she asked, interest peaking, "does this have something to do with Artemis and Sam?"

"I had a tracker placed on Artemis' private jet about a year ago, just in case the boy decided to go against us or contact any rouge fairies," Foaly said. Holly looked down at him.

"After what Artemis did for us, you still don't trust him?" she asked. The centaur turned and faced her.

"Holly, answer me truthfully—do you fully trust Artemis Fowl?" he asked. The small fairy just frowned and turned back to the screen.

"So Artemis has boarded his plane," Holly said, shrugging his shoulders, "isn't it his winter break? He is probably just going on vacation somewhere"

"I thought that was a possibility," Foaly said, "but do you really think I would call you over if this was all I had?"

"What else have you found?" Holly asked him.

"Has Artemis reported anything to you about the VAMP pyre we sent him and his classmate to investigate?" Foaly asked. Holly's frown grew deeper.

"He told me that him and Sam had found the reason behind it and that they would take care of it. He also warned me not the get the LEP involved because it would jeopardize his mission," Holly said.

"Well, I think there might be some trouble," Foaly said grimly. Holly turned to him quickly.

"Tell me everything you know," she said forcefully. Foaly turned back to his computer. He pressed a few buttons, and a picture of Killian appeared on the screen, grinning slightly.

"Artemis is traveling in the company of this vamp agent," Foaly said.

"Artemis is traveling with a vamp? Why?" Holly asked. Foaly waved away her question.

"They are very closely following this plane," he said, pointing back the map, where suddenly a blinking blue dot appeared in front of the red one.

"Boarded on this plane," he continued, "is Artemis' classmate, Sam"

"Where is the plane headed to?" Holly asked.

"Taiwan," Foaly answered, sighing. Holly looked down at him.

"Taiwan? What are they going to do there?"

"Accompanying Sam on this plane is this boy," Foaly said, pulling up a picture of a very attractive Asian boy.

"Who is that?" Holly asked, looking at the picture. The boy seemed a bit familiar for some reason.

"This is Jin Lai," the centaur answered. Holly's eyes grew wide.

"Jin Lai as in the son of…"

"Chairman Lai," Foaly said.

"What are Artemis and Sam going to do with Chairman Lai? How do they even know about him?" Holly asked.

"That I do not know exactly," Foaly said, "but that is not the worst part of this all"

"Then what is?" Holly asked. The centaur started to press a few more buttons.

"Well, I was doing some background research about this situation and I found this very interesting piece of information" he said as a new box popped up on his screen.

Holly read the information in the box and gasped.

"D'Arvit" she groaned loudly before turning on her heels and running out of the room.

"Thanks for the lovely show of gratitude," Foaly yelled after her, sarcastically, but the elf was already too far away to hear him.

* * *

Holly ran quickly back to the station, straight into Trouble's office.

Trouble looked up and was immediately worried by Holly's frazzled, wild look.

"Holly, what's the matter?" he asked.

"We have to go to Taiwan right now," Holly said, breathing deeply, "Artemis and Sam are in grave danger"

* * *

**A/N: Alright, there it is. Thoughts? Questions? Comments? I would love to hear all of them. Gracias y besos!**

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**Second Author's Note: As much as I have loved writing "Why, Why Love", this story is quickly coming to an end. I sense that there are going to be around 5 more chapters. And originally I had planned to write another story, one that I had been planning since before this one actually. And I had planned to start publishing that story after this one was completely done-- but I grew a little impatient and posted the first chapter up already. It's a romantic mystery called "Last One Standing". It is a bit darker than this one, but has a better plot (I feel), and I hope you all like it as much as you like "Why, Why Love". Thanks everybody for your support!**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Alright, sorry that this chapter took so long to get up. I was trying to get it up yesterday, but the log in for the site wasn't working. And it's been a hard week as far as University goes. Plus, after going home for winter break, I find myself feeling more homesick every day that I am back. And I found out that writing about Taipei makes me miss the city even more!! Haha, well, enough with my excuses. I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

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**Why Why Love**

**Chapter 18**

The plane landed and Sam and Jin got out without a hitch. So far, everything was going quite smoothly.

"Jin, we better get to customs," Sam said as they exited the terminal, "we want to beat all these people before the lines get too long"

"No need to worry," Jin said, looking around. He spotted a man in a black suit and waved him over. Sam cocked her head and looked at the man.

"Who is that?" she whispered to him.

"That's one of our family butlers," Jin said as the man approached them, "he'll take care of everything for us"

The man turned to Jin and smoke in rapid-fire Mandarin. Jin answered him back as Sam looked on in interest. This was the first time that she had heard Jin speak Chinese before. Even though he normally had an Irish accent when speaking English, his whole voice changed when he spoke in his mother tongue. It was much deeper and he seemed more in command than usual.

"He said that the car is already waiting for us outside," Jin said, tuning towards Sam, "we should get going"

"But… but what about customs? And our baggage?" Sam asked, following Jin as he started walking through the airport. She saw that they were being followed by a couple of men, who were also wearing black suits, "are these men your butlers as well?"

"My father commissioned this airport to be built," Jin said lazily, "it is essentially his. Everything will be taken care of"

Sam stared in wonder as people parted the way, looking at Jin with awed eyes, erupting into hushed whispers.

"Jin, it is like you are a rock star here!" Sam said, looking around her. She caught sight of a magazine stand and gasped as she saw Jin's face on one of the covers. Rushing over before Jin could stop her, she eagerly took the magazine off the shelf. The writing was in Chinese, but from the look of the publication—Sam could tell that it was some type of gossip rag.

"Sam, what are you looking at?" Jin asked, coming over. He saw the magazine and groaned.

"Don't bother with those, those are all a load of garbage," he said. The magazine vendor looked up at the two of them and let out a little yelp.

"This is a good picture of you!" Sam said, holding up the magazine. The boy just grabbed it from her and put it back on the shelf.

"Why are you so famous here, Jin?" Sam continued, looking up at the boy. Jin just shook his head and started to steer Sam away.

"Excuse me mister!" The vendor cried in heavily accented English, "what you do with Master Lai?"

Sam turned around and looked at the lady. Jin continued trying to steer her away.

"Is Master Lai very famous here?" Sam asked her, breaking free of Jin's grasp. The lady nodded her head vigorously.

"Lai family—very famous! Master Lai one of most famous bachelors in Taiwan!" the lady said. Sam looked up at Jin, grinning.

"One of the most famous bachelors, already? And to think you are only seventeen!" she said. Jin groaned once more and successfully steered Sam away from the stand and out of the airport. There was a very discreet looking black car waiting for them outside, and Jin gingerly led Sam into it.

"I thought your family was going to come greet us," Sam said, looking around the car. The windows were tinted in a way that nobody from the outside could look at the passengers.

"You saw how the people acted," Jin said, "and that was only with me. My mother was one of the most famous movie stars in all of Asia. Imagine the crowds that would be out if she were to show up"

"What about your father, then?" Sam asked, "is he this popular as well?"

"Even more so," Jin said, sighing and leaning back in his seat, "but he would be too busy to come, anyways. His business has almost tripled in the last five years. It's like magic or something".

Sam looked up at the boy, eyebrows raised, "magic?"

"I really can't think of any other way to describe it," Jin said as the car started to lurch forward, "father's business just started to grow rapidly three years ago, and he started getting weird calls all of the time".

"What do you weird calls? Like calls from suspicious people?" Sam asked, growing steadily more interested, and for some reason, steadily more anxious. Something didn't seem right here.

"Well," Jn said, leaning closer, "at first I thought that my father was getting involved with loan sharks or gangsters, so I started to listen to his phone calls"

"You did?" Sam asked, surprised. The Jin she knew was so carefree and laid back that she couldn't imagine him doing anything like that.

"I didn't want my father to put us at danger with his shady deals!" Jin said, defending himself. Sam just nodded her head.

"So what did you hear when you listened to the calls?" she asked.

"I really don't know," Jin said, leaning back, "they kept using code names for everything. They just called themselves 'The People' and kept saying that they lived somewhere called 'Underground'."

Sam looked at Jin, eyes widened. _The People? Underground?_

"I am pretty sure they were gangsters," Jin said, sighing. Sam turned towards the window, not knowing what to say. Chairman Lai hadn't been working with gangsters; he had been working with faeries. She drummed her fingers on the side of her legs, turning around to look at the car behind them, hoping—wishing—that it would be Artemis and Killian. The frustrated face of a Taiwanese businessman late for work started back at her.

Without a sound, Sam slumped back down in her seat, wondering where the two boys were. If Chairman Lai was working with the fairies, not against them, then what was this whole mission about? Surely Killian would be able to explain everything…

* * *

Artemis and Killian landed without much trouble either. The airport that Butler had chosen to land the jet in was fairly quiet. Of course, it was impossible to find an uncrowded airport in Taiwan, especially near Taipei—but the one they had landed in was as close to deserted as they could have hoped for.

The only downside to it all was that the location of the airport was further away from Taipei, and therefore, further away from Sam and Jin.

Artemis leaned against a pillar in front of the airport, looking at the cars that drove past them.

"Butler has only been gone for three minutes," Killian said, "it will take him a little bit longer to bring the car over, don't be so impatient"

"I am not being impatient," Artemis said, his eyes never leaving the steadily line of cars.

"You're eyes have been glued to the cars coming into the terminal from the second Butler left," Killian countered with a lazy grin.

"A person always has to be on guard." Artemis said, "you keep telling us how dangerous Chairman Lai is. And if he is as well informed as you say he is, then he should already know that something suspicious is happening".

Killian looked away at the boy's statement. He frowned slightly and turned towards Artemis.

"Artemis, what if this all was just a…"

"Oh, look, there's the car! I am glad they got the model right, and that the windows are tinted properly" Artemis said as a black vehicle with heavily tinted windows swept into the terminal. Killian bit his lip, wondering what he would have said if the boy hadn't interrupted him.

_What is wrong with m__e_, Killian wondered as they put their bags into the car. The vamp just shook his head and slid into the backseat.

Artemis quickly sat in the front seat.

"Alright Butler, we have to hurry. Sam and Jin landed almost fifteen minutes ago and we are further away from Taipei then they are…"

Artemis turned to face his bodyguard and gasped. The person sitting in the driver's seat wasn't Butler at all.

"You… what are…" and suddenly Artemis felt a damp cloth being pressed against his face. Everything slid into black.

* * *

Holly and Trouble landed in Taipei scant seconds after Artemis and Killian. Of course, their entrance into the city was much more secretive and a bit more rushed.

"Holly, you still haven't given me the details about everything," Trouble said as he watched the elf in front power up her Neutrino 2000.

"You do know that is a rather dangerous weapon, don't you?' he continued, eyeing the gun warily as it started to emit a green glow. Holly just looked at him, both eyebrows raised high.

"I think I have earned my right to play with big boy toys," she said. She unclipped a sort of stick from her belt and tossed it as Trouble, "here, catch this!"

Trouble quickly reached out and grasped the stick, feeling a sickening shock going through his body as soon as his fingers made contact with him.

"Holly!" he screamed as he let the stick drop to the ground. Holly smiled at him.

"Buzz Baton in fine working condition," she said lightly, deactivating the weapon and clipping it back to her belt.

"Are you trying to kill me?" Trouble asked nursing his stinging hand.

"Not you," Holly said darkly, "but there are a few people that I would love to get my hands on.

* * *

Sam gasped as the car that was carrying them pulled up in front of the biggest and grandest house she had ever seen. Not even seeing the elegant architecture of SB for the past months had prepared Sam for the majesty that was the Lai house. The pathway that led up to the house was neatly kept, with flowers brightly trimming the driveway. The path led up to a circular driveway with the largest fountain Sam had ever seen in the middle. From the fountain, a noble golden lion sprouted water from his mouth. The house itself was built in the manner of a large English manor—complete with stonewalls, crawling ivy, and stained glass windows.

"Jin… this is your house?" Sam whispered. Jin looked up at it and nodded, as though it was nothing new to him, which, Sam thought, it really wasn't. This was the place that Jin had grown up and had lived in his whole life. Of course he wouldn't be awestruck by it.

A butler immediately opened the car doors and escorted Sam out. Sam quickly thanked the butler and made her way over to Jin, who was starting to walk up the driveway to the grand front doors. Sam looked over at the boy next to her, wondering how somebody who had grown up in this type of environment had turned out as loveable and as unpretentious as Jin had. She was tempted to say that it was his parents that raised him well, but with everything she had built up in her mind about Chairman Lai, she really couldn't see him as being the caring father type.

They reached the door and Jin knocked on it firmly. Sam stood where she was, nervously fingering the hem of her shirt. Not only was she nervous about meeting Jin's family, she was even more nervous because they all probably thought that she was Jin's gay lover.

There was a loud noise behind the door and it was slowly open. Sam cocked her head to see who was on the other side. Her eyes fell upon the person that had open the door and she gasped loudly.

Standing before her was a boy, a few years younger than both her and Jin. He was extremely handsome, blessed with a very noble features and a tall build. His clothes were very formal and fit him perfectly, and his hair had been carefully and perfectly styled to frame his handsome face.

"Zheng!" Jin cried happily, embracing the boy quickly. Zheng's eyes widened a bit and he awkwardly hugged Jin back. It was obvious that the boy wasn't as overemotional and carefree and his older brother.

"Jin… this is your brother?" Sam cried. Jin turned around and smiled at her, and she could see some resemblances. Even though Jin's hair was messy and dyed a bright golden, the two brothers had the same dignified features.

"Is this the boy that you told mother about?" Zheng asked Jin, looking over at Sam with an unreadable expression. Jin nodded his head happily, while Sam frowned at him. Wasn't Jin going to explain everything?

"I think that there had been a mix up, though," Sam said quickly, "Jin spoke to your mother without really thinking and told her nonsense things. He doesn't really love me. He even has a girlfriend!"

"That is for the better then," Zheng said, just as formally. Sam started to wonder if this proper and reserved attitude was just the boy's normal manner.

"Where is mum?" Jin asked, looking around.

"She is in the parlor," Zheng said, "she had some magazine shoots earlier today so she is a bit tired".

"Ah, well I will go and introduce Sam to her then," Jin said, happily grabbing Sam on the shoulder. Zheng nodded his head politely.

"I will tell the staff that you have arrived. I believe they have already prepared a room for you," he said, looking at Sam once more. Sam gave the boy a nervous smile. Though he was younger than her, she felt as though she was talking to some sort of professor or respected elder.

"Thank you," she said quickly. Zheng just nodded once again and made his way out of the foyer. Sam turned to Jin.

"How come you and your brother are so different?" she asked him as he led her to the parlor, "It seems very odd that the both of you would be so different".

"Zheng was raised by my aunt and uncle mostly," Jin said as they walked, "when Zheng turned eight, my father started to become more successful and my mother had started to act part time, so they felt like they didn't have time to properly raise Zheng. He just moved back into the house a year ago".

"So you were raised by your parents, then?" Sam asked. Jin nodded his head.

"The first time I had ever left Taipei for an extended period of time was when I went to SB," Jin answered. Sam frowned and looked straight ahead. So Jin's parents had raised him after all. But everybody was saying that Chairman Lai was some sort of ruthless and terrible person. How could he have possibly raised a son like Jin, especially in this type of extravagant environment?

The two teens entered the parlor, and Sam looked around, trying not to gasp. She was sure that three of her houses in Boston could fit into the Lai parlor. But even though the space was so expansive, it was tastefully filled with all sorts of furniture and decorations.

"Mum!" Jin cried happily, rushing over to a woman who was lounging on a couch on the other side of the room. Sam looked up, and this time she couldn't stifle her gasp. The lady on the couch was one of the most elegant people she had ever seen. Sam could see why Jin's mother was such a famous movie actress. The lady was beautiful—though while beautiful women were usually intimidating and unapproachable, Jin's mother had such bright, sparkling eyes that Sam couldn't help but feel happy when she saw her.

The lady looked up and smiled widely when she saw her son.

"Jin!" she said happily, raising her hands to embrace her son. "It is so good to have you back home. I always worry whenever you go off to school. Ireland is much too far away! And look at you, why have you gotten so thin? Do you not like the food in Ireland? Do you want mother to send you food?"

"Mum, don't embarrass me so much. I am not a little kid anymore," Jin mumbled, though his smile was wide and bright as well when he embraced his mother.

Sam smiled as she looked on at the interaction between the two. It seemed as though Jin and his mother were very close.

"Is that my son I hear?"

Everybody in the room turned to see a man enter the parlor. Sam's eyes widened as she got her first glance at the infamous Chairman Lai.

"This is him?' she whispered to herself, not believing what she saw in front of her. In her mind she had made Chairman Lai out to be a huge, intimidating man with cruel eyes and a frowning face. What she did not expect was the small, kind faced man striding through the parlor.

Chairman Lai was a few inches shorter than Jin, with a head full of black hair speckled with gray. His features were very handsome and his eyes were gentle, and crinkled happily when he smiled—as he was doing at that moment. He was a good-looking man (Sam decided that looking good was a requirement for the Lai family), but he was not intimidating at the least.

"Father," Jin said, looking up at the man. Chairman Lai went to Jin and embraced him.

"I thought that you were going to be at work!" Jin said. Chairman Lai just waved away his son's words.

"My oldest son comes back home after months and you expect me not to come and welcome him?" he asked, "what kind of father do you think I am?"

Sam's mouth opened in surprise. This was the ruthless, heartless Chairman Lai that Killian had told her about? This was the man who was planning on exploiting the existence of fairies to humans?

"What is going on here?" she whispered to herself.

"Jin, is that Sam?"

Sam looked up quickly and saw the eyes of both of Jin's parents on her. She smiled widely and made her way over to them.

"Hello," she said, bowing lightly, "my name is Sam and Jin and I are not going out nor are in love in anyway"

Jin's mother gave off a surprised laugh and Chairman Lai's eyes crinkled even more with amusement.

"So that is the American brashness everybody speaks of," Jin's mother said, mirthfully.

"I can see how he stole your heart, Jin," Chairman Lai said jovially. Sam looked up and shook her head quickly.

"That was all a misunderstanding" she said quickly, "Jin and I…"

"Jin called yesterday and explained everything to us," Chairman Lai said, interrupting the girl's rant. Sam looked at Jin, surprised. She had never thought that the boy actually had tact.

"Oh…" Sam said, feeling a bit stupid.

"Why don't you show Sam to his room?" Chairman Lai to Jin, "he must be tired after the flight to here."

Sam looked up at the man in front of her. She could not see an evil bone in the man's body. What was going on?

Then it all clicked in her head. _Chairman Lai wasn't evil. He wasn't trying to exploit the fairies. This was all a…._

Suddenly, the lights in the parlor all turned off. Sam shrieked and jumped back, right into Jin. The boy clutched her tight to him.

"What is happening?" he asked as the inky darkness penetrated the room. A sickening laugh filled the room.

"Who are you?" Sam cried out, becoming increasingly nervous. What kind of madman's trap had they all fallen into?

"Who am I? That is a great question, little Sam," a woman's voice answered back. Sam stiffened a little. The voice sounded quite familiar. But from where? She had been surrounded by only boys for the past months—where in the world could she have possibly heard a woman's voice?

"I know you," Sam said softly. She knew the voice. She was certain of that.

"If you know me, then who am I?" the lady taunted. Sam stayed quiet, mind reeling. Where had she heard this voice before.

"How about this?" the lady said, "I will give you till the count of three to answer. If you don't, then I will shoot one of you at random"

"How can you see in this darkness?" Jin demanded, moving Sam behind him just in case.

"I can see just fine," the lady said lazily, "but enough with this. Shall we start counting? One…"

"What do you want from us?" Chairman Lai cried, "do you want money? I can give you whatever you like".

"I don't want your money," the lady said, "what I want has already been taken away from me—by those pesky elves and Artemis Fowl".

"What do you know about them?" Sam and Chairman Lai cried out at the same time. The lady just laughed.

"It seems as though your three seconds is up," she said happily. Let us see who gets it…"

"Stop right there!"

Suddenly the lights came back on. Sam looked and saw Holly standing near the doorway, gun raised high. There was another elf, a male one, standing near her.

"Holly," both her and Chairman Lai called out. Chairman Lai looked at Sam questioningly, but Sam was too busy following where Holly's gun was pointing. She looked up and gasped.

"Ross!" she cried as her eyes fell on the vamp agent that she had met a month before. The vamp looked the same as before, but now her eyes held a wild craze to them.

"Do you think that your LEP weapons will work against me?" Ross cried out, laughing, "don't you know how powerful I am? Don't you know what I am fighting for?"

"What is going on?" Jin cried, looking at everything.

"What are those two little kids dong here and why does one of them have a gun?" Jin's mother asked. Sam and Chairman Lai looked sheepishly at the two of them.

"You two need to leave right now," Chairman Lai said to his son and his wife.

"There is no way I am leaving Sam in here with these madmen," Jin said, holding Sam closer to him, "Sam is my best friend. I can't just leave him like this"

"Jin it's not safe for your mother to be here," Sam said. Chairman Lai nodded.

"Take your mother and Zheng and go to the safe house," he whispered, prying a hesitant Jin off of Sam, "it's the only way to keep everybody safe"

Jin looked at his dad and nodded grudgingly. He grabbed his mother, and while Ross was occupied with Holly, he escaped quietly out of the back door.

"Alright," Sam said, walking up to Ross, "I want some answers now. How does Chairman Lai know about faries? Why did you bring us here? What do you want?"

"Chairman Lai works for us," Trouble said quickly, "he has been an ally of the fairies for almost three years now. We contract him for jobs, and in return he uses his immense power and resources to make sure that no one ever finds out about our existence"

"So this whole mission was fake," Sam said, looking up at Ross, "did Killian know it was fake all along?"

And then, almost if on cue, Killian walked into the door, dragging a semi-conscious Artemis behind him. Sam blanched when she saw this. She turned to Ross, livid.

"What did you do to him!" She yelled, "I swear, woman, if Artemis is not okay that I will kill you myself—whether I have to stick a steak through your heart or whatever!"

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Ross asked, snarling, "seeing someone you love suffering and in pain"

Killian drug Artemis over and dropped him at Ross' feet. Artemis looked up and saw Sam.

"I told you I would always find you," he croaked. Sam looked up at Killian, her eyes conveying her upset and her sense of betrayal.

"I trusted you," she whispered to him. Killian looked at Sam, surprised. For once in his life, he felt something a little like guilt.

"Nice work, little brother," Ross said. Sam looked up at them, gasping.

"Killian is your brother?" she asked. Ross nodded her head.

"He is my brother, and also the only person I have left in this world thanks to this boy," she said, kicking Artemis. The boy grunted and flipped over. Sam immediately knelt down to see if he was okay. Artemis just looked up at Ross.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Their mother," Holly said quickly, walking up to the boy's side, gun still raised high, "their mother was Opal Koboi"

"Opal Koboi was never married," Artemis grunted. Holly rolled her eyes.

"A person doesn't have to be married to have children. Artemis," she said, "you see a man and a wo…"

"That's enough," Artemis said, waving her comment away, "but Opal never seemed like the type to raise kids."

"We are vamps," Killian said, "we started training at the age of three, so we never needed any raising. Our mother is a vain and selfish woman, but she is also a foolish one. She fell for some elf that never wanted to be with her and only used her for her brains. She bore him two children and then he went off and married some other pixie"

"But our mother loved us," Ross said, "and she wanted us to be something. That is why she decided to let us be vamps. She might not have raised us, but she is still our mother—and now thanks to you, she is in a permanent coma!"

"She was evil," Trouble said, "she had to be stopped."

"You took away our mother," Ross said to Artemis, "now watch what happens when I take away what is most precious to you".

And suddenly, a heavy smoke filled the room. Artemis coughed and tried to sit up, but he was still a little groggy, and his side stung from where Ross had kicked him. Trouble cursed and tried to find a way to make the fog go away.

It was about five minutes before the smoke cleared away enough for them to see. Ross was gone, and Killian was standing where she had been, looking confused.

Artemis took a few deep breaths, trying to regain full consciousness. Suddenly Trouble's voice rang loud from amid the last of the smoke.

"Artemis, Holly and Sam are gone!"

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so there it was. This was a tough chapter to write because a lot happens in it, but I felt like all of you deserved a longer chapter after this wait—especially since I left the last one off on such a big cliffhanger. Plus, writing two stories at once can get a little tiring (but it is so much fun), though I have this chapter up and will be posting the next chapter of "last One Standing" tomorrow—so I am happy with my writing schedule.**

**As always, please review and tell me what you thought. I appreciate all your comments. Gracias y besos!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Alright, here we go again. This chapter took quite a while, not only because uni has been a pain, but also because it was just a hard chapter to write. Hopefully it will be worth the wait, though. Enjoy!**

**

* * *

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**Why Why Love**

**Chapter 19**

"Where did they go?" Artemis demanded, getting up slowly, nestling his side, "Killian, where did Ross take them?"

"I…I don't know," the young vamp said, staring at the spot that his older sister had been in seconds ago.

"Don't you think you've lied to Artemis enough already?" Trouble asked, going up to Killian.

"I am not lying this time," Killian said, "It wasn't supposed to happen like this. Ross told me that she was just wanted to let you know that she was upset about our mother… I didn't know she was planning on kidanapping…"

"Yeah, well obviously dementia runs in your family," Artemis said through gritted teeth, "you should have planned for something like this to happen."

"Ross is just upset," Killian said, "anyone would be if their mother was in a coma"

"Opal Koboi has always been bad news," Chairman Lai said, slowly, "the two of you should have known that".

"We were taken from our mother at a young age to be trained as vamps," Killian answered, "the only thing we knew her as was a woman that we saw during holidays and gave us whatever technology or weapons we needed. She was the only person who ever came to visit us. It was a strange relationship, but it was ours".

"That is all just fine, but we don't have time for you to go all sappy and sentimental" Trouble said, "right now, our main problem is what your sister did with Sam and Holly"

"She can't have gotten far from the house," Artemis said, looking around, "unless you two have some magical powers still"

"She has to still be in the house," Killian said. Suddenly the television screen at the far end of the room lit up. All three men in the room turned to see Ross' calm face on the screen.

"You," Artemis hissed, looking at the female vamp with rage-filled eyes, "what have you done to Sam and Holly?"

"Both of them are with me," Ross said happily, pointing behind her. There was some type of plastic wall located right behind the vamp, and a very white room behind the wall. Sitting in two chairs on the floor of the white room were Sam and Holly. Their hands and feet weren't bound, but both of them looked petrified to move.

"The racquetball court," Chairman Lai whispered. Artemis turned his head towards the man and nodded, motioning him to go and rescue Sam and Holly. The man started to walk away slowly.

"And where do you think you are going, Lai?" Ross's voice cut in. The man turned and looked at her face on the screen.

"Don't think that I cannot see all of you," she said coldly, "If any one of you tries to come here, it won't end up well for these two ladies".

"Ladies?" Chairman Lai and Trouble said together, looking at Sam who was glaring at Ross. Artemis waved away their comment.

"No time to explain that," he said, turning to the screen, "what do you want us to do?"

"I want you to feel the pain of losing someone that is dear to you," Ross answered coldly, panning the camera so that Sam and Holly were in better view.

"Each one of their chairs is rigged with a single wire," Ross said calmly, "and those two wires are attached to an explosive device. If one of them gets up from their seat, their wire will be pulled. The explosive device will not go off if only one wire is pulled, but it will if both wires are".

"So you are saying that only one of them can be freed safely," Chairman Lai said.

"That is exactly right," Ross answered, "one of them can be freed safely; but if the other ones tries to be freed, then the explosive device will go off and kill them both".

Killian backed away from the screen a little. What was going on? Ross hadn't mentioned any of this to him before. Killian's eyes strayed from his sister's face to the image of Sam, sitting stiffly in her chair, her helpless emerald eyes darting around the room. His fists clenched and his mind reeled. On one side he had his sister and on the other he had the girl who was essentially the first friend he had ever made.

"Ross, let them go," Artemis said, eyes widening slightly in fear.

"We'll do whatever you want," Trouble added in. Ross just sighed.

"All this talk is boring me," she said lightly, "plus, the longer you talk, the closer your two lady friends are to death".

"Is the explosive timed?" Chairman Lai asked. Ross nodded her head.

"Five minutes," she said, "Before the time is up, you need to choose one person who you want to save."

"What?" Trouble gasped, "You are making us choose between Holly and Sam?"

"Only one of the two will come out of this alive," Ross said, "…or, if you cannot choose in the next five minutes, neither of them will. If any one of you three leaves the room you are in, then I will detonate the explosive."

"Killian," Artemis whispered. The young vamp was their last hope in freeing the two girls. The boy turned around to where Killian had been standing seconds before, only to find empty air.

"Where did he go?" Trouble asked, looking around. Ross' laugh filled the room.

"I guess you have seen where my brother's allegiance lies," she said, "though I don't know why you would ever expect him to help you after what you did to our mother".

Artemis turned back to the screen. Ross's smiling face looked back at him, and over her shoulder he could see Sam and Holly sitting tensely in their chairs, fearful that they would pull the wires.

"Please," he whispered, looking up at Ross. The vamp just snorted.

"Time is ticking," she said happily, "just press the power button on the TV when you have your decision. Don't take too long, and happy choosing!"

And with that the screen went black, leaving Artemis, Trouble, and Chairman Lai all in a silent room together.

"D'Arvit!" Trouble screamed after a few tense seconds, pounding his fist against one of the walls.

Artemis just stood in his place, mind reeling, trying to think of some way that he could save Sam. His side was aching, and he was sure that a few of his ribs had been fractured—but none of that mattered.

"Artemis," Trouble said slowly, turning to him, "I am sorry".

"Why?" Artemis asked, still deep in thought. _Why in the world was Trouble apologizing to him?_

"Because I can see that you and Sam are close," Trouble said, "I am sure that her death will be hard on you".

Artemis turned and faced the small elf, his whole expression darkening.

"Sam isn't going to die," he said.

"Then do you expect us to choose Holly to die?" Trouble asked, raising his voice, "do you know how important she is?"

"I don't care," Artemis said resolutely, "There is no way that I am going to let Sam go like this"

"Nobody has to die," Chairman Lai said, going up to them.

"Did you not hear Ross?" Trouble demanded, "somebody has to die!"

"And it is not going to be Sam," Artemis added in. Trouble groaned and turned to him.

"Holly is the only capable recon agent and the best damn pilot that we have in Haven," he said, "do you know how many countless fairies would suffer if she died? Do you know how much she means to us underground?"

"And do you know how much Sam means to me?" Artemis asked. Trouble faltered for a second. He had heard stories about the cold, aloof and uncaring Artemis Fowl—but that was definitely not who he was seeing in front of him.

"I am not buying into your whole pragmatism speech," Artemis said icily, "you want Holly alive for the same reason that I want Sam alive. You love her."

Trouble sighed deeply and sunk down against the wall. They didn't call Artemis a genius for nothing. The boy's words were true.

"What are we going to do?" he asked aloud. And for the first time in his life, Artemis didn't have answer. The boy looked at the floor. Usually, his brilliant mind was full of ideas, but when it came to Sam, he always found himself unable to think rationally. _Sam_, he thought, clenching his fists, _I am sorry. I should have watched over you better. I should have kept you by me all the time._ He had let her out of his sight, and she had disappeared. But Artemis knew one thing, there was no way in the world that he was going to let her disappear from his life forever.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sam and Holly were sitting in the racquetball court. Ross had installed a sound system so that they could hear everything that the boys in the parlor were discussing.

"He really cares about you," Holly said to Sam. The girl just nodded her head, tensely, looking at the elf next to her. Holly was everything that Sam wasn't—poised, beautiful, and smart. How could someone like her end up in a situation like this?

"He does," Sam answered, looking at the ground. A small smile crossed Holly's lips.

"So you're a girl, then," Holly said, "I always thought you were a little feminine. Why did you dress up like a boy?"

"It is a long story," Sam answered.

"Then tell me when we get out of there," Holly said back, though her voice didn't match the hopeful tone of her message. Sam looked at the fairy, whose eyes and whole manner seemed duller than usual. It was then that the reality of the situation hit her.

"There is no way to escape from here, is there?" she asked, softly. Holly looked around.

"I have been thinking," she answered, pointing next to the chairs. A few feet away from Holly's chair was a small, box made out of some type of black material. Ross had said that was the safe box. Whoever the boys chose to life, would have to go into the safe box in order to not be affected when the explosive went off.

"I think if we rush, then we can both get into the safe box before the explosive goes off," Holly said. Sam looked at the box and sighed.

"Holly," she said, "you know that we both won't be able to fit in there, Ross made it like that".

"Of course I made it like that," Ross answered from outside of the racquetball court, "I have been planning this for some time now. I just want those responsible for my mother's coma to feel what it is like to loose the one you love the most".

"I understand that you are upset," Holly said, "and you have all the right to be upset at Artemis, Trouble and I. But why Sam? She didn't even know about fairies until we sent her to meet you. What did she ever do to you?"

"There are always innocent casualties in war," Ross answered. Sam looked down at the ground. It was true that she had nothing to do with Ross and Killian's mother. It was true that she hadn't even known about fairies before; but when her and Artemis agreed to stay by each other, they also agreed to make each other's problems their own.

Sam then looked up at Holly once more. The words that they had heard Trouble saying to Artemis over the sound speaker still rung in her ears. _Do you know how many countless fairies would suffer if she died? Do you know how much she means to us underground?_

_Could I live with myself if I let Holly die_, Sam wondered. Sure, she wanted to live—any human being would want to live. But if Holly died instead of her, she would be hurting a whole colony of creatures._ If I die, I hurt those who love me, she thought, if Holly dies then she hurts all of the fairies._

"Don't worry," Holly said, seeing the pained look on Sam's face and trying to comfort her "I am sure that they will choose you".

Sam looked up at the fairy, eyes wide.

"It is fine," Holly continued, "if they choose you, that is. I have lived much longer, done more things You are still young and still have a lot left to do, a young girl like you can't die. They are going to choose you for sure. "

"That is what I am afraid of," Sam whispered. She looked up at Holly. One of them was going to die, the girl had already accepted that fact.

_What am I going to do_, she wondered, her eyes falling once more on the safe box.

* * *

Killian ran as fast as he could, not bothering looking back at the boy who was trying to keep up with him.

"So let me get everything you said straight," Jin said, gasping, "Sam is actually a girl, has been kidnapped by your older sister, and is now being held in our racquetball courts strapped to an explosive".

"Yes," Killian answered.

"Are you on drugs?" Jin asked, "was this just an excuse for you to drag me out of my safe house and away from my mother and brother?"

"Why would I ever spend all of the effort of finding you in your safe house and dragging you out for no reason?" Killian asked.

"Maybe you have a secret to tell me," Jin answered. Killian groaned.

"I already did tell you the secret," Killian said, looking at his watch, "now lead me to your racquetball court. If we don't get there in two minutes, Sam will be gone".

Jin blanched and started to run ahead of Killian.

"I still don't quite believe you," he said to the boy, "but if Sam really is in danger, then we have to hurry". Killian nodded his head and followed the boy down that maze of hallways.

"Wait! Jin," Killian said, suddenly stopping. The boy turned around.

"Yes?" he asked. Killian looked up at him.

"I know that fires are a big problem here, so most homes have a fire shed filled with things to use in case a fire freaks out," Killian said. Jin nodded his head slowly.

"That is true," he answered. The vamp went up to him quickly.

"Do you have one in this house?" he asked.

"Of course we do," Jin answered, "but why?"

"We need to make a small detour first"

* * *

"They have exactly two minutes left," Ross said happily, "Oh, I wonder who they are going to pick!"

"It is sickening how much pleasure you get out of this," Holly growled at the vamp.

"This is the most fascinating human experiment I have conducted to date," Ross said, "the emotions are so raw!"

"Is that what you see us as?" Sam asked, "just experiments?"

"Experiments that took my mother away," Ross corrected, looking around, "where is Killian? The boy should have gotten here by now". Sam's face darkened when she heard mention of Killian's name. Ross noticed the change and laughed.

"What," she asked, "are you still upset that Killian lied to you? Why wouldn't he? I am his sister! When it comes to a choice between his sister and some little cross-dressing human, I think we both know who he would pick".

"Sam!"

All three ladies looked up to see Jin rushing into the room.

"Jin! Don't come into the court!" Sam warned him, afraid that he might accidentally trip the wires. There was already going to be enough death happening, she didn't need Jin to get hurt as well.

"Sam we came to save you!" Jin said. Sam looked up suddenly.

"We?" she asked. Killian walked into the room behind Jin, carrying a large bag in his hands.

"Killian?" Ross asked, shocked, "what are you doing?"

"You never said anything about hurting them," Killian whispered to his older sister. Ross huffed and walked over to Sam, yanking the girl's head up.

"Is this girl really worth it?" Ross asked bitterly, "is she really worth betraying your sister for? Are you really picking her over me?"

"It's not that," Killian said, "I just don't want you to be a murderer". Ross turned and faced him.

"Is this not what they deserve?" she screamed, "is this not what they should go through for what they did to mother? Whose fault is it that we are now orphans? Whose fault is it that we don't have anybody else out that that cares about us?"

"I cared," Sam whispered, looking down. Both vamps turned to her.

"I cared about you, Killian," the girl continued, "I trusted you…"

"Stop all of this!" Ross cried out, raising her hands in frustration, "it doesn't matter. We only have 20 seconds left. Killian and Jin, turn on the screen. It's time to hear the boys' decision"

Sam looked up, frightened. This was it, the deciding moment. In a few seconds, the three boys in the parlor were going to choose that fate of her and Holly.

"Or not," Sam whispered. She had always valued choice. The girl always liked to be in control of her life, make decisions for herself. How was she going to let other people make the decision if she was going to live or die? Sam glanced over at Holly, who was sitting calmly in her seat. In ten seconds, Holly could die, and in doing so it could harm the entire fairy population. Trouble's words once again filtered through Sam's mind. If Holly died, all of Haven would be in danger.

_I can't let that happen_, Sam thought, _I can't let a whole population of creatures be in danger just to save my life._

"Artemis, I am sorry," Sam whispered, "I can't stay by you forever"

"Five seconds left," Ross said. Sam breathed in deeply. It was action time.

She suddenly turned towards Holly and gave the small elf a huge push. Shocked and put completely off guard, Holly fell off of her chair and into the safe box, just as Sam had planned. The door to the safe box closed and Sam could hear the small elf pounding her fists against the door.

_"Sam! Sam! Let me out of here right now! I am not going to let this happen!"_

Sam ignored the elf's muffled protests and instead turned towards Ross, who was looking down at the girl in shock.

"What?" the vamp gasped, shocked. Sam looked the vamp resolutely in the eye.

"I might die," Sam said, "but I am taking you with me". And with that, she stood up, setting off the explosive.

"Sam!" Killian cried, lunging towards the girl, his bag clutched loosely in his hands. Jin watched as the explosive went off and filled the racquetball court with fire.

"Sam," Jin said, weakly, falling to his knees. From within the fire, Holly banged against the inside of the safe box in frustration and anger. What had that stupid girl done? Why did she have to go and try to be the hero?

Holly moved the box over to the door of the racquetball court and lunged at it, shattering the door and causing herself to fall near inches away from Jin. Holly opened the box and scattered out, looking at the fire that was still blazing inside the court.

"D'Arvit!" Holly cried out, kicking the charred safe box in anger. Why did Sam do that? Holly had mentally prepared herself to be the one that was going to die. She had been okay with that fact-- after all, she had lived for so long. Sam was just a teenager, she couldn't die. Not like this.

Holly was pulled out of her crazed haze, however, when she saw that since she had broken the door, the fire was now spreading outside of the racquetball court

The elf turned towards Jin, who was staring at the court in disbelief.

"Come on, " she said, grabbing him by the shoulder, "I broke the door like an idiot and the fire is spreading."

"But Sam," Jin whispered, not moving. Holly looked back at the fire. There was no way that Sam could have survived that.

"She made her choice," Holly said, pulling Jin. The boy looked up at her.

"Did you know she was a girl?" he asked, looking back at the court. Sam had been his first love, his best friend. It was impossible for him to think that she was gone.

"I can't just leave her here," Jin cried, trying to get out of Holly's grasp.

"Listen," Holly said, "Sam gave up her life so that we could life. Do you think she wanted you to get burned trying to save her?" Jin just started mutely at the fire.

"Come on, we need to go," Holly said, dragging Jin out of the room. She turned her head once more towards the courts.

"Sam, what are we going to do now?" the fairy whispered, thinking of Artemis, who was still waiting back in the parlor.

* * *

**A/N: Okay, so now you can see why this chapter was so intense and hard to write. Worry not, though. This isn't the end of the story. There is either going to be one or two chapters left-- depending on how much I want to write per chapter and if I am going to do an epilogue. **

**Alright, as always, please review and tell me your thoughts. I know that most readers will probably hate me after this chapter, but don't worry. There is a reason for everything, and this story won't be too much of a tragedy. Just trust me and wait for the next chapter =)**

**Gracias y besos!! **


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Okay, so here is the next chapter. Sorry it took me so long to update, spring break was absolutely disastrous to my writing schedule. But hopefully, the chapter will be worth the wait. Enjoy!**

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 20**

Artemis, Trouble, and Chairman Lai all stood in the parlor, not knowing quite what to do.

"It is past the time limit," Trouble said after a few tense seconds.

"Why didn't Ross try to contact us again?" Chairman Lai wondered out loud.

"Trouble, try turning on the television again," Artemis said, pointing to the blank screen.

"I already told you that it wouldn't turn on," Trouble answered, trying to turn the TV back on nonetheless. Still nothing appeared on the screen.

"Maybe this means that the two girls found a way to escape," Chairman Lai said, trying to keep a positive attitude.

"Yes," Trouble said, agreeing quickly, "or maybe Ross had a change of heart. Why else would she decide not to contact us again?"

Artemis just stared blankly at the door. He knew that the other two were trying to be cheerful, but he couldn't bring himself to follow suit. How could he just pretend everything was alright if there was still a possibility that Sam could be in danger?

"But what do we do now?" Trouble asked, "is it okay for us to leave the room and find them?"

Just then, as though to answer his question, the parlor door burst open. All three men in the room swung their heads around quickly to see Holly hobbling into the room. Trouble gave off a loud cry and Artemis sunk to the ground in relief. It seemed as though they had manage to get out safely.

Holly ran into the room, followed by a very crazed looking Jin. Chairman Lai automatically ran up to his son. Holly, who had dragged Jin all the way to the parlor, collapsed in exhaustion near the door. Trouble started to run towards her, but was beaten by Artemis—who, despite his injured side and lack of athletic skill, ran rather quickly towards Holly.

"Holly," Artemis said, grabbing the small elf by her shoulders and shaking her, "where is she?"

Holly looked up at Artemis and the boy could see everything in her expression. He slumped down a little, his grip on Holly's shoulders tightening.

"Artemis…" the elf began, not quite knowing what to say. She could tell that he already figured what happened, and she didn't want to say it out loud.

Artemis just stared at the ground, not knowing what to think. All the signs—Holly's face, the fact that Jin was sobbing, Sam's absence, all of it showed without a doubt that the tiny girl was gone. But, for the first time in his life Artemis didn't want to believe logic and calculated reasoning. For the first time he just wanted a miracle.

"You saved her, right?" Artemis asked, looking up at the elf, "you managed to save my father who everybody thought to be dead. You saved Sam too, right?"

Holly bit her lip. She knew that Artemis would be devastated by the news, but she had never expected him to go into denial. She always thought the boy was much to logical for that.

"She probably went to go check on Jin's mother and brother, right?" Artemis asked, looking around, laughing bitterly, "she would do something stupid like that and scare me."

"Sam didn't go to check on Jin's family," Holly whispered softly. Trouble stood a few feet back from the pair, observing the scene. He wrung his hands behind his back, not knowing quite what to do. He could see that Holly was physically and mentally exhausted, but he also could see that Artemis needed comfort and understanding right now, and Holly was the only person in the room close enough to him to provide them.

"Then did she go to find Killian?" Artemis asked, "Probably went to forgive him, even though he was a traitor. That girl could never stay angry at anybody for long."

Holly pinched the bridge of her nose knowing that she had to say something in order to stop Artemis' denial. After all, what happened had happened, and it had to be said eventually.

"Artemis, I am sorry," Holy said shortly. Artemis' grip on her shoulders tightened even more and Holly winced in pain.

"How?" the boy finally asked after a minute of tense silence. His voice sounded strained.

"Sam pushed me into the safe box and tripped the bomb on purpose," Holly said. Artemis let out a groan.

"That was our decision to make!" he growled, "Why did she have to make it herself?"

"She didn't want you to pick her to live," Holy said softly, "she seemed to think that it would be dangerous if I died".

Artemis stood still for a moment before turning towards Trouble and fixing him with a murderous stare. The elf, who had heard of Artemis' cold side backed away slightly, taken aback by the absolute fire in the boys' eyes.

"It is your fault, isn't it?' Artemis asked Trouble. The shocked elf pointed to himself in confusion.

"My fault?" he asked.

"You were the one that spurted out the nonsense about all of Haven being in danger if Holy was the one who died," he said, getting up.

"Artemis," Holy said, quickly holding on to the boy, who looked as though he was about to murder Trouble, "the only one at fault here was Ross".

"Where is she?" Artemis growled, turning around, "where is that vamp? I swear that she won't get away".

"She's dead," Jin said, his sobs reduced to a point where he could actually speak.

"Dead?" Artemis asked. Jin nodded.

"Sam blew up Ross along with herself," Jin said.

"That was another reason why se decided to sacrifice herself," Holy added in.

"Stop saying that," Artemis said, he didn't want to hear that Sam was dead. If he didn't hear it, he could still pretend that it wasn't true.

"Killian was in there as well when Sam triggered the explosive," Jin said, "he jumped in to try to save her but…" The boy erupted into fresh sobs before he was able to finish his sentence, but the meaning was obvious. Killian had tried to save Sam, but he had been too late.

Artemis just stood where he was, unmoving, his face completely impassive and unreadable. Holly and Trouble looked up at him with bated breaths, not knowing what the boy was going to do.

"Artemis…" Holly said, hoping to elicit some response from the boy; but he just continued to stand where he was.

_What had gone wrong?_ He wondered to himself, _when had Sam and I started lying to each other? Sam promised me that she would never leave my side, and now she is gone. And I promised Sam that I would find her wherever she went, and now she is in a place where I can't find her._

Artemis finally moved, turning his head towards Trouble. He lamely lifted up one arm and pointed it to the gun that the elf had strapped to his side. Trouble backed up a little in case Artemis decided to steal the gun and go on some murderous spree.

"Trouble," Artemis whispered, "do something for me".

"What do you want me to do?" Trouble asked, still wary.

"Shoot me once with that," Artemis said, waving towards the gun again. Holly gasped up at the boy.

"Artemis, one shot with that would kill you. You should know that," she said.

"I know," Artemis said simply, "shoot me".

"I know that you aren't in a right frame of mind right now, so we are just going to pretend that you never said such a ridiculous thing," Trouble said.

"I was stupid and careless, so Sam wasn't able to keep her promise to me," Artemis said, "but I need to keep mine to her".

"Your promise?" Holly asked, confused. Artemis closed his eyes.

_"What if something happens before you arrive in Taiwan? Killian said that Chairman Lai is a ruthless man," Sam asked, looking up at him with her huge emerald eyes. He felt his mouth tug unto a smile, something he only happened around her. She had that effect on him._

_"Luckily for you, you have a smart boyfriend," he whispered to her, "no matter what happens, I will always be able to find you"_

_Sam smiled up at him, her whole face lighting up, and then rested her small head against his chest. He had almost sighed; the whole situation just felt that right. He knew then that Sam's place was exactly where she said it was, by his side—and he had to make sure that she always stayed there._

"I told Sam something before we came here," Artemis said, looking at Holy with absolutely hollow eyes, "and I need to follow through with it. Shoot me."

"Artemis, we are not going to shoot you," Holly said, "that is not the proper way to deal with this". Artemis looked down and Holly noted with surprise that the boy was shaking slightly. Suddenly, Artemis fell to his knees in front of the two elves.

"Please," he said, voice sounding more choked, "I am begging you. Shoot me"

Holly looked at Artemis, mouth open in a wide gape. Never in her life would she have ever imagined the prideful, distant Artemis begging to anybody—and on his knees at that. The Artemis that existed before Sam came into the picture would never have been caught dead on his knees in front of anything.

"Shoot me so that I can find her," Artemis continued, his voice becoming barely audible, "I told her that I would find her".

Even Trouble, who had not only seen just about every tragedy possible in his years in the force but also didn't like Artemis Fowl much, felt himself brought close to tears at the hopeless sound of the boy's voice.

"Artemis, Sam wouldn't have wanted this," Trouble said. Artemis looked up at the elf with a wild expression.

"How do you know that?" the boy asked, almost violently, "do you know anything about her? Do you know how naive, stupid, brash, and annoying she is? And how adorable she is because of all of that? Do you know that she taps her fingers when she gets nervous or that she has a pigheaded sense of bravery? Or do you know that she is the only person in the world that can make me say cheesy things like this?"

"I…." Trouble stuttered, taken aback by the sudden outburst.

"Do you know that she promised to never leave my side?" Artemis continued, "and I told her that I would find her no matter where she went."

"Artemis, Sam sacrificed herself so that all of us would be safe," Holy said, "that is what she wanted when she died".

"I…" Artemis said, the tears that had never rolled down his face since he was an infant falling, "I never did anything for her. She always did things for me, but never once did I do something for her. Let me do this. Let me keep my promise. It is all that I can do for her now".

Holly looked at the boy, startled by his tears and by his show of emotion, both things unheard of when it came to Artemis Fowl. It was so out of character for him that Holly was uncertain that she was looking at the same person who she had known before.

"I'm not," Holy whispered, "I am not looking at the same Artemis Fowl that I met months ago in the LEP cottage, am I?" Artemis just looked up at her and shook his head. That cold and unfeeling Artemis had been changed by Sam, and now that she was gone, he was worried that he would slip back into that person and forget the girl completely. In the past whenever he had faced something negative that he couldn't fix he just chose to ignore it. He didn't want to do that again.

Holly nodded and unholstered a gun from her belt, raising it and aiming it towards Artemis.

"What are you doing?" Jin cried out. He had been watching the whole scene in shock and wonder, amazed by how much Artemis cared for Sam and how different he was from the distant boy that everybody at SB knew. Jin hadn't commented the whole time, but now seeing Holly with a gun, he couldn't suppress his outbursts any longer.

"He needs this," Holly said, pulling the trigger of the gun. Jin gave out a cry and Artemis slumped to the ground.

"How could you do that?" Jin cried, "even though Artemis begged you, you know that Sam wouldn't have wanted him to die because of her! Do you know how guilty she would feel because of this? How could you be so easily influenced by his words?"

"Relax," Holly said, walking up over to Artemis, "it is just a stunning dart. What the boy needs right now is a lot of rest and some time to get over the immediate shock".

Jin just nodded and collapsed on the floor, completely exhausted. He felt like he needed one of those stunning darts as well. Holly looked over at the boy, mind racing. They needed to get him a mind wipe quickly. Jin was a sweet boy, but there was little chance that he would ever keep the existence of faeries a secret.

"Trouble," she said, turning to the elf next to her, "call Foaly. Tell him we need a mind wipe and a plane to take both boys back to their school".

Holy looked back down at Artemis. She was tempted to mindwipe the genius boy as well, but she knew that it would be useless. Some emotions and occurrences were too strong to ever be wiped from the mind, no matter how advanced the machines were.

"I am sorry, Artemis," she said. The boy's life had never been an easy one, and now that he was going through another hardship Holly didn't have any idea how to help him.

* * *

The fire blazed on in the racquetball court, and it was absolutely stifling under the fireproof blanket that Killian had gotten from fire shed.

"We're not much better off under this thing, are we?" Killian asked, looking down at the small girl underneath him. He had thrown himself at Sam and covered them both with the blanket just before the explosive went off.

Killian was met by silence and he looked down, to see Sam completely unconscious.

"She must be inhaling too much smoke," Killian said in a sudden worried voice. Slowly, the vamp started to scoot out of the court, making sure that the blanket stayed firmly secured over them. He placed a hand near Sam's face, fanning away all the smoke that was entering through the blanket. It would be his fault if the girl died, and he could never life with that type of guilt.

Slowly and labouredly, Killian managed to ease the two of them out of the court room and into relative safety. He threw the blanket off of them, drinking in the cool, fresh air of the hallway outside of the room. Never before had room temperature air seemed to wonderful.

He then quickly turned towards Sam, who was still unconscious. He could see her skin begin to turn ashy.

"How much smoke did you breathe in?" Killian asked, worriedly. The small girl did not look like she was in good shape at all. If the vamp didn't do something quickly, then the girl would surely die.

Sighing deeply, Killian closed his eyes, knowing what he had to do. Over the years him and Ross had grown a steady hatred towards faeries, up until the point where they tried everything possible to become humans. To use magic was something that became repulsive to them, but Killian knew that he had to use some in order to heal Sam. The thought of using magic almost made the vamp physically ill, but when he looked at Sam's face, which was progressively getting paler, he knew that if he didn't act soon then she would pass away.

Breathing in deeply, Killian summoned up the magic that he hadn't used in countless years. He felt a slight surge through his veins and placed his hands on Sam. A few blue sparks played out of his fingers and went into Sam's limp body, but not nearly enough to heal her completely. Killian groaned, all the years of nonuse had drained his magic.

"I need to do the ritual," Killian said, disbelievingly. His magic had been enough to put Sam in a stable state, but in order for the girl to regain her consciousness, he would have to perform the ritual. He sighed and grabbed the girl's listless body.

"The things I am doing for you," Killian said, shaking her head. But this was his choice. He had chosen Sam over his sister, and now he would have to take care of her no matter what.

With his sister, and therefore all of his connections, gone, it took Killian quite a while to find a mode of transportation to a sight where he could get an acorn and perform the ritual. It was especially hard, since he was carrying around a girl's unconscious body around with him everywhere, and people were usually very wary of that fact.

Finally, Killian made his way to Tara, where he got an acorn and did the ritual. He actually threw up when he felt the magic coursing through him, but he decided to deal with his repulsion for long enough to deal with Sam. He slowly brought the girl up to him and placed his hands on her. Almost immediately, he felt his magic starting to transfer to the girl's body—and it was such a great feeling that the vamp actually started to cry.

The vamp closed his eyes, letting the tears of joy flow out, enjoying the feeling of the revolting magic leaving his body slowly.

"Killian, are you that happy to see me?"

Killian opened his eyes and looked at down, finding two emerald eyes staring back at him. The vamp let out a groan of relief and pulled the small girl up to him, embracing her tightly.

The move surprised Sam, but she was too tired and too sore to really fight back.

"You're alive," the vamp said, his voice faint with relief, "I was afraid that you wouldn't make it"

"What do you mean?" Sam asked, looking around at the he oak tree, the beautiful rolling fields of grass, the crystal clear pond near them, "aren't we in heaven right now?"

"Heaven?" Killian asked in surprise.

"I am not surprised that heaven looks so much like Ireland," Sam said, leaning back. After all, it was the place where the girl had been the most happiest. She looked up at Killian.

"In all the books, people in heaven can look down on people who are still on Earth," Sam said, crawling over to the pond, "do you think that is true? Do you think that I can see Artemis?"

Killian just shook his head, the girl thought that she had died and gone to heaven and the first thing she was worried about was Artemis.

"You can see Artemis anytime you want," Killian answered. Sam turned to him, a smile spreading across her face.

"Really? How could I do that? Can I talk to him? They always say things like the dead can appear in dreams," she said, speaking rapid fire. Killian sighed.

"We are actually not that far away from Artemis right now," Killian said, looking at the girl with raised eyebrows, "if you want, we can take a plane and reach him in half an hour".

"A plane?" Sam asked, confused, "what are you talking about?"

"We are not dead, Sam," Killian said, "and we are not in Heaven. We are in Tara… Ireland"

"Ireland?" Sam asked, looking around, "stop joking around with me, Killian".

"I am not," the vamp sighed.

"But how could we be alive? I saw you jump into the room as soon as I triggered the bomb. There is no way that we could have survived that explosion. Plus, even if we had, we would still be in Taiwan, not in Ireland," Sam said.

"Has anybody ever told you that you speak entirely too much?" Killian asked the girl.

"I wouldn't speak so much if you weren't so confusing," Sam answered. Killian leaned back against the large oak tree.

"Right before Jin and I had gone to the court, we made a stop at his fire shed so that I could pick up a fireproof blanket. Our plan was give it to you and Holly so that you could use it to shield yourself incase Ross deiced to set of the explosive," Killian said, "but you had to go and act like a hero and mess up our plans. So I was forced to jump in the court and shield the both of us before the bomb went off".

"So you covered us with the fireproof blanket?" Sam asked Killian. The vamp just nodded.

"And then what?" Sam asked, "why are we in Ireland?"

"You inhaled too much smoke while I was trying to get us out of the fire and almost died… again. So I had to save you… again. I didn't have enough magic to heal you, so I had to come here to get more".

"So we really aren't dead?" Sam asked. Killian nodded his head.

"And right now we are in Ireland, not heaven," she continued. Killian nodded his head again. A wide smile crossed the girl's face, lighting it up.

"And right now we are only thirty minutes away from Artemis?" she asked. Killian smiled despite himself and nodded. Sam gave out a cry and launched herself at Killian, hugging him tightly.

"We're alive!" she cried, happily, looking at the vamp, "let's go back to SB, okay?"

"You could at least say thank you for all the trouble I went through for you," Killian said. Sam made a face at him.

"After all the lying you did, I don't think I owe you anything" she said.

"That might be the first logical thing that you have ever said," Killian said, shaking his head, "Let's get going".

Sam detached herself from Killian and looked out, the smile unable to leave her face.

"Artemis I am coming back where I belong" she whispered, happily.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, so I was planning on ending the story like this, but rereading it, I decided that it might not be the most satisfying of endings. So I decided to write one more chapter. The next chapter will be the last one in the story, and I promise that I will post it up much quicker that I posted this one. **

**I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, though. As always, I would love to hear any thoughts you might have! Gracias y besos!! **


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Okay, everybody. Here is it. The last chapter. I decided that after all the drama and all the craziness that has gone on throughout this story, it should have a happy, cheesy ending (hopefully more happy than cheesy however). It's been a good run and I've had so much fun writing this story. Hope you all enjoy this one!**

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**Why, Why Love**

**Chapter 21**

What should have been a 30-minute trip for Sam and Killian turned out to take three days. Neither one of them had any money on them, and without any connections they both found themselves having to walk, hitchhike, bike, and use any other form of transportation in order to reach SB. Added with the time that it took Killian to revive Sam, the two of them arrived at the school a little more than a week after the incident in Taiwan.

"What good is it to even come back this late?" Sam moaned as they walked the long road that led to SB, "it would give Artemis too much of a shock if we both showed up from the dead after this long".

"You're right," Killian mussed, "let's just head back then, there is no point in going anymore". Sam immediately frowned.

"Then, on the other hand, it's better later then never, right?" she amended quickly. Killian just smiled to himself. Even after all of this, the girl was just as easy to read as ever. And in a way he was glad that the near death experience hadn't changed her. Life without her oddly cheerful character was quite dull.

"Look!" Sam cried suddenly, "I can see the front gates of SB!"

"Why are you so surprised?" Killian asked, "Where did you think that this road led to?"

"It's just comforting to see them," Sam said quietly, looking at the gates with a smile on her face. She was back at SB. She was back to the room with the rickety bunk beds and the highlighter yellow blanket that Artemis hated so much. Back to the track, the stale dining hall food, the familiar classrooms. Back to Jin, Patrick, Liam… and Artemis.

"It feels like I am back where I belong," Sam said happily.

"Don't be so cheesy," Killian scoffed, looking down at her, "do you think we are in some kind of sentimental love novel or something?"

The two of them reached the gates and Sam walked through them, happiness building up inside of her like a balloon. She remembered all the times that she had walked through here. The first time when she came to school, overwhelmed with how large and grand everything was and filled with fire to meet Artemis. The second time when Jin and her went to SC, and the third when Artemis dragged her back. The fourth and fifth when they went to and from meeting Holly for the first time. The sixth when they left for Taiwan. And the seventh… the last time…

"The seventh I am coming back to you," Sam whispered to herself, extra softly in case Killian picked up on it and accused her of being cheesy. So what if she was cheesy? She had just essentially been raised from the dead and, after quite a lot of effort, was now back home. If anything, she deserved a cheesy moment or two.

"So, now that we're back what do you want to do first?" Killian asked. Sam turned to him, confused.

"There are so many things that we could do," Killian continued, "Do you fancy a run on the track? Or we could get some food from the dining hall. Maybe it actually became edible during our absence. Or if none of those things sound right then we could just take a walk around the grounds…"

"Or maybe we can go visit Artemis and tell him that I am alive," Sam cut in.

"Ah…" Killian said with a smile, "I am sure I would have thought about that some time or another".

"I swear, I think you just saved me so that you could continue to play with me all of the time," Sam grumbled, walking towards the dorms.

"Of course," Killian answered, "no one else is quite as much fun to vex." Sam just looked over at the vamp. He had lied to her and caused so many troubles. But in the end, he chose her over his own sister and had somehow traveled all the way to Ireland in order to save her.

"You are not too bad of a person, Killian" Sam said to him. Killian looked over at the girl in surprise, a bit taken aback by her statement. He had never expected any sort of thanks out of her for his actions. Sure he had saved her, but after all that he had done to her and Artemis it was only a small thing.

"You forgive people way too easily," Killian said, shaking his head. But then again, that was just Sam.

"Some people do things that make it easier to forgive them," Sam said simply as they reached Dorm 2. Sam smiled to herself, remembering the countless things that had happened within the dorm walls. She moved over to the doors and opened them, stepping once again into the place that she had lived for the past months.

"Sam? Killian?"

Both Sam and Killian turned around when they heard the voice. A very familiar figure stood near the stairs, messy golden hair sticking out in crazy angles around his handsome face.

"Jin!" Sam cried, the balloon of happiness inside of her inflating even more. Jin rushed up to them.

"How was America?" Jin asked. Sam looked up at him, confused.

"America?" she asked. Jin nodded.

"That's why you left Taiwan early. You said your parents wanted you to come and visit them".

Killian walked up next to Sam.

"His memory has been wiped," he mouthed to the girl. Sam's eyes grew wide and she nodded quickly.

"Oh, of course. Sorry, I am just a bit tired from my flight. America was great. It was nice to visit home and my parents are both doing very well." Sam said.

"Ah, well maybe now that you're back Artemis might actually come out of the room," Jin said. Sam frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Artemis hasn't left the room once since he came back from winter break," Jin said, "he's not attending classes and nobody has seen him come to eat even. He just sits in the room all day, it's really strange" Jin said casually. Sam bit her lip hard. She knew that Artemis wouldn't be happy about her "death", but she never expected him to take it this badly. After all, Artemis was always the master of controlling his emotions and staying aloof all of the time.

"But you've always managed to convince him to do things," Jin continued, not noticing Sam's distress, "so I am sure you will be able to coax him out of the room".

"So he's in there right now?" Sam asked. Jin nodded.

"Like I said, he doesn't leave anymore".

"Let's go up there then," Killian said, pushing Sam forward. Sam nodded and started to walk up the stairs.

"I'm about to grab lunch—so you can just meet me in the dining hall whenever you get done talking to Artemis," Jin said happily.

"Okay, I'll do that," Sam said. Jin nodded and walked away while Sam and Killian continued up the stairs. They reached the third floor and started to walk down the hall. Suddenly Sam stopped, a few feet away from the door to her room.

"What's the matter?" Killian asked, confused by the girl's actions.

"Why am I so nervous all of the sudden?" Sam asked, clutching onto her chest, "I should be overjoyed to see Artemis again, but I just feel nervous".

"Well, you are going to see him after coming back from the dead," Killian said, "I guess it's not that strange to feel nervous".

"What if he doesn't want to see me?" Sam asked. Killian scoffed.

"Sam, according to Jin Artemis has been in an isolated depression for the past week, why would he not want to see you?" the vamp asked.

"What if he is mad at me for trying to kill myself?" the girl fretted.

"I am sure that he'll find it in his heart to forgive you," Killian responded dryly. Seriously, what was this girl so worried over? Sam nodded and took a deep breath.

"Go on," Killian said, motioning to the door. Sam slowly walked up to it. She grasped the doorknob and slowly felt her nervousness leave her. She exhaled deeply once more and then threw open the door, walking inside.

The lights in the room were turned off, so it took Sam a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the dim lighting. Finally, when she was able to see, she scanned the room. Artemis was sitting at his desk, back turned to the door, staring at the window—which had been covered with what seemed to be a heavy drape.

Sam slowly walked closer and saw that Artemis was lovingly holding something in his hands. Suddenly, with a pained heart, Sam realized that it was her bright yellow blanket that Artemis has always made fun of. She also noticed that the boy had lost a great deal of weight (apparently Jin wasn't lying when he said that no one saw Artemis come out for meals) and there were large dark circles below his eyes. The loss of weight just made his eyes look bigger and more innocent and with the addition of the blanket he was clutching, Sam thought that he looked like a lost five year old.

"Holly, I am not going to try to kill myself again," Artemis said, voice hoarse, "you don't need to keep watch on me all the time"

"Again?" Sam said aloud, "you tried to kill yourself?" Artemis' expression changed when he heard Sam's voice, but he didn't turn around to look at her.

"Ah, so you've decided to come again," Artemis said, his hold on the blanket becoming even tighter. Sam moved even closer to him and saw in horror that the boy had closed his eyes tightly.

"Artemis, it is really me, open your eyes!" Sam cried out. A wild smile crossed the boy's gaunt face.

"I know it's you," Artemis said softly, "even if everybody else says I am crazy, I know it is you. Just keep talking. It doesn't matter what everybody else says, just keep talking to me".

"Artemis…" Sam started, not knowing how to handle the situation.

"Can you tell her," Artemis said, eyes still closed, "tell her that I didn't mean to break my promise to her. Tell her that I should have never left her out of my sight". Sam reeled back a bit, taken aback by the show of emotions from the boy. She hadn't known that he would feel so much guilt over her actions.

"It wasn't your fault," Sam said softly, "none of it was your fault. I did everything myself"

"Tell her that I never knew" Artemis said bitterly, "I never knew about Killian or the trap. I never knew about it".

"Of course you didn't," Sam said, "how could you have?"

"And tell her that I'm sorry that I can't find her now. I am not smart enough to find her now"

"You don't need to find her this time," Sam said quickly, "for once she actually found you. Open your eyes". Artemis didn't move, eyes still remaining shut.

"Open your eyes," Sam said once more, a bit louder this time. Artemis opened his eyes and looked at her with a gazed expression, as though he could see right through her. _He thinks I'm a ghost_, Sam realized, _this is what I was afraid of_. The girl's mind reeled.

"Artemis, look at me," she said, grabbing the boy's shoulders and shaking them, "look—I'm real. I'm not a ghost. See?" Artemis just nodded blankly, his grip on the blanket so hard that his knuckles where turning white. _This isn't working_, Sam thought frantically. _Maybe if there was more light in here, he would be able to see me properly._

She quickly moved towards the window, throwing open the drape and letting in a stream of light. She then moved over to the door and turned on the room light. Turning around, she turned on both of the desk lights and then headed over to the bedside table to turn on the lamp as well.

She reached out to flip the lamp switch when she felt somebody grab her shoulder. Sam spun around and saw Artemis standing beside her, looking down at her with a very curious expression.

"I never died," Sam started, "Killian ended up…"

She was cut short, however by Artemis pulling her forward and embracing her tightly. Sam smiled widely, feeling completely secure. Artemis just held on to her for a few moments, not knowing what to do. Finally he let her go and looked at her—her smiling face, those sparkling emerald eyes.

"It's really you," he said finally.

"Yes," Sam answered.

"You really came back from the dead?" Artemis continued.

"Technically I was never dead, but I guess it does sound more dramatic to say that I did," Sam answered. Artemis just smiled at the girl's ridiculous statement. Just a few days ago, he thought that he would never smile again. But then again, Sam was the only one who could make him ever show that much emotion.

"Killian saved me," Sam continued, "when the bomb went off he…"

Artemis interrupted her once more by holding up his hand.

"I don't want to know," he said, "I don't want to hear about that time again. It's enough that you're here right now".

"I am," Sam said. Though it was obvious, she still felt like it needed to be stated, "and I'll stay here, if that's okay with you".

"I don't know," Artemis answered, "this past week without you has been pretty wonderful. No girlfriend to nag me all the time."

"Ah, is that the case?" Sam asked, wondering if was possible for her smile to grow even larger, "what should I do to convince you to let me stay?"

"Hmm," Artemis said, "how about you make me a promise?"

"What sort of promise?" Sam asked, eyes twinkling.

"Promise me that you won't ever leave me again," Artemis said. Sam looked up at him, completely serious.

"I don't think that will be a problem," she said, "I plan on sticking to you like glue from now on".

"Then I suppose you can stay," Artemis said. Sam smiled up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. She pulled herself up to give him a kiss when the door opened. Killian stuck his head into the room.

"Are the reintroductions done yet?" he asked, "I've been waiting out here for too long"

Sam sighed at the vamp.

"Way to ruin a good moment," she said, shaking her head.

"Well I'm hungry," Killian said, "let's go get food".

"Oh!" Sam cried, "I completely forgot that I told Jin that I would meet him in the dining hall". She turned and quickly went towards the door.

"Are you leaving me to go to Jin?" Artemis asked. Sam turned around and smiled wickedly at Artemis, shrugging her shoulders.

"Jin! Here I come!" she yelled.

"What happened to all that stuff about sticking to me like glue?' the boy asked.

"You should know by now that lying is one of my best skills," Sam said, turning towards the door. Artemis scoffed and looked away.

"Artemis," Sam said. The boy frowned and looked back at her.

"I love you," she said, turning and running out into the hallway.

Artemis stood where he was, a smile creeping onto his face. That was the first time that Sam had said it out loud and it reminded him once again of how right everything was. Their situation wasn't ideal. Neither of them knew how long Sam could keep up her charade as a boy in order to stay at SB, they still couldn't have a public relationship, and the future was still foggy. But at that moment, Artemis felt as though everything was perfectly as it was supposed to be. Sam had come back to him. Anything that happened from there could be taken one step at a time.

Their relationship had been defined by "why's". Why did a girl come to SB? Why did the faeries need their help? Why did Jin always have to get in the middle of everything? Why did Killian betray them both? Why did Sam have to sacrifice herself? And the most important… why love? Out of all the emotions that the two teens had felt for each other throughout these past few months, why had they both ended up on love?

"Are you not even going to follow me?" Sam cried out from the hallway. Artemis just laughed.

"That girl is going to be the death of me," he muttered before running out of the room after her. He didn't know why love had chosen them. All he knew was that it had, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

_**The End**_

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**A/N: Okay, so there it is. Like I said-- this one has been an absolute blast to write. I really appreciate all the comments and help that everybody has given me throughout the course of the story. Seriously, all of you are awesome and I am glad that you enjoyed the story. **

**I don't plan on there being a sequel for this story-- I kind of like it just the way it is now. As for my next projects-- I currently have two other Artemis Fowl stories out right now. Last One Standing is a darker mystery and A Prince's First Love is more like this one, a bit of a romantic comedy. So that is what I have planned for right now. Hope to continue hearing from all of you. It's been one great ride!!**

**Gracias y Besos!!**


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